


Coursing Through Me

by SassyHBIC



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Both movies, Contains mentions/depictions of abuse, Eating Disorders, Evil Evie, F/F, F/M, Gen, Later chapters however, M/M, MEVIE, Magic Evie, Mentions of Rape, Mostly Evie-centric, Movie: Descendants 2, Sex in general (oral included), Sexual assault (minor), Suggestions greatly encouraged, Triggers, Underage Sex, malvie, new style
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:05:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 57,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyHBIC/pseuds/SassyHBIC
Summary: There's something oh so addicting in breaking a stranger's heart; a twisted sneer appears as Chad whimpers. There's something oh so thrilling about being ahead of one's opponent; pink lips smile as Fairy Godmother stutters. There's something oh so satisfying about robbing someone of their breath; a scandalous smirk takes over seeing Doug trip over himself. There's something oh so exciting about engaging in debate with a person of equal wit and fire; a tantalizing grin bares itself as Andrea snaps back.There's nothing, however, that will ever be able to remove the fear from one's heart of rejection. Teeth sink into soft flesh, biting a lower lip as Ben hovers over Mal, longing noticeable in red-brown orbs. And there's nothing dignified about the tears a blue haired Princess sheds in private over broken happily ever afters.





	1. I Made You Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying something new writing about abusive pasts and current torment. If I am depicting a part of these things incorrectly, please let me know. I believe I have labeled all the correct boxes in regards to trigger warnings. I do not know how long this story will be, but so far I'm calculating at least ten chapters. This begins during the first movie, but will have chapter taken in the past, as well as including, the second movies plot lines. I have no Beta. All mistakes are mine and suggestions please let me know. I also apologize because it has been a while since I've written so I may be a little bit rusty. Without further ado, here's the first chapter of "Coursing Through Me" the title is taken from the lyrics of Rotten to the Core.

In reality it's all her fault.  
  
It's her fault that wide green eyes are blinking owlishly at her. It's her fault that her filter is gone despite sounding perfectly composed, although it could be argued that her mother was the one to teach her this.

It is partially her fault, but mostly Jay's fault that there was alcohol at Ben's coronation party. Thus, it's not completely on Evie that she's well past sober even if her speech is not slurred nor is her posture slouched.

And it's technically her fault that Mal looks ravishing in the dress she designed. Evie will be taking full credit for how good Mal wears it.  
  
So in truth it really is her fault.  
  
“What did you say?” Mal stutters trying to wrap her head around Evie’s latest statement.

Evie flushes and her stomach churns. It’s the first time since she began to drink where she wants to spew out everything in it. She wants to take back everything she has said and just go back to the party.

“What did _you_ say, E?” Mal presses on.

And is it all of sudden that Evie finds their dorm room a little bit too small? That she feels the walls caving in and the air thinning out. Or is that the alcohol coursing through her body that is making it seem like the world is off its axis.

Evie giggles hoping to buy herself time while she tries to find a way to outthink herself from this mess. But Mal knows her too well, she knows Evie’s quirks and tricks. She knows Evie is trying to run and she is not willing to let the blue haired girl go that easily. So the half-fae takes a step forward and Evie one back. That continues until Evie is backed against a wall and Mal is standing in front of her.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, Evelyn. What did you say?” Mal repeats raising her arms to land against the wall pinning Evie in place.

Evie groans, face becoming flushed because her current predicament should not be making her feel the things she is feeling. Mal’s voice should not be making her weak at the knees only Doug or Andrea should make her feel these things, but who is she kidding. Everyone knows Evie cares for Mal in a way that she does not for anyone else.

“Nothing,” Evie whispers watching Mal’s eyes go from grey to green. “Forget I said anything. And don’t call me Evelyn.”

Mal’s eyes narrow and they glow an intense green once more, but Evie rolls her eyes. She slips from underneath Mal’s arms and reaches for the dark bottle near her bedside table. Evie’s lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle as the drink effortlessly makes its way down her throat.

“You want me to forget what you said?”

Evie nods afraid of the conversation that could come if she pushes what she had said. She watches unsteadily as Mal crosses her arms in front of herself. Putting down the bottle, Evie closes her eyes and leans her head back against the bedpost she is now leaning on.

“I love you, Mal,” Evie chuckles mirthlessly, “but you know that. You’re my best friend and now we’re free to use that word. We’re free from them.”

Mal growls pinning the older girl with her eyes. Evie’s posture although appearing lax is too tense for a trained eye. She’s trying too hard and an unwelcome feeling festers up in Mal’s abdomen.

“You did not say ‘I love you Mal’. You said ‘I’m _in_ love with you, Mal.’ those things do not mean the same thing, Evie,” Mal’s voice is cutting.

Evie’s eyes snap open and they burn a deeper brown—Mal is positive that they glow a deep blue for a second, but blames it on the light. The blunette takes a deep breath, calming the magic within her making sure that nothing seeps out, Mal cannot know about her abilities.

“Must have been a slip of the tongue,” Evie’s voice is just as cold. “Now, I believe your _boyfriend_ is waiting for you to get back. I’m tired, goodnight Mal.”

And with that tone both girls know that the conversation in over, that regardless of them having more to share they will not talk about it any longer.

Evie closes her eyes once more as she hears Mal mutter a fine before the slamming of the door. Her dark brown eyes burn with unshed tears because despite having been in Auradon for the past three months, despite the lack of her Mother breathing down her throat, despite them (Carlos, Jay, Mal and herself) having beat Maleficent—Evie still feels like she cannot breathe, like she cannot be weak. Those were lessons taught to her on the Isle, things that she cannot or does not know how to change.

So instead Evie grabs the bottle as she undresses, leaving her blue gown on the floor. She’ll regret that in the morning probably, but then again she’ll regret a lot of things in the morning. Curling up in her bed Evie pulls out her phone texting the one person who will help her figure out what to do since her best friend is mad at her.

Taking another sip of the bitter liquor, Evie wishes for times much simpler than this. Where her feelings were ignored because being wicked came first. Where she was a villain and not a fool in love, a fool who believed she could attain her happily ever after. She wishes she could go back, back to Isle…

***********

_Three Months Earlier_

The Isle of the Lost, so different from its counterpart. It’s dark and dangerous and every inhabitant knows that its survival of the fittest from the moment they can walk. Auradon had never given any indication other than disdain towards the people of the Isle.

So Evie cannot begin to understand why, why now of all times Auradon is paying attention to the children of the Isle. It makes no sense to her, it makes no sense to anyone really other than Maleficent who has taken it upon her to come up with a plan for the children who will be leaving. The Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella do not really have a choice when it comes to the grandest villain of the Isle, thus, their children even less of a chance.

It’s not that Evie is not excited to leave. She’s dreamt of leaving the Isle long behind but not to come back and release the villains of all the fairytales. More she dreams of escaping with her friends to a place where survival is not the constant mindset one must be in. Where she can be wicked, but she can also be free.

Going to Auradon to steal the wand does not seem that it will be the way to obtain her freedom. In fact, Evie’s gone over every situation that can happen and most are not in favor of her and her friends. But she cannot think like that, Evie knows that while Mal will be the leader of the group she often turns to Evie for plans. Evie has always been good at strategizing, seeing what is not always there, but for once Evie does not want to solve this puzzle.

A crunch comes from behind her and it’s the smallest sound of a twig snapping, but it’s enough for Evie to know she is no longer alone.

“We’re so fucked,” Evie states her voice carrying over the waves.

“You don’t say,” Jay mentions approaching the older girl. His arm comes to sling across her shoulders. “I mean we’re fucked, but we are also fucked up.”

Evie scoffs at his attempts at playing games and slips out from the thief’s grip. Her arms come to cross over her chest as she stares out to the sea. They’re at the top of the highest mountain on the Isle, here the whole place is visible while off in the distance between clouds is the warm glow of Auradon.

Evie chuckles at it, at the idea that that forbidden place will be her new home.

“We’re going to need to protect them,” Evie says, her eyes not leaving the mainland.  Again, Jay steps closer to her and purses his lips as Evie continues to speak. “They can’t know what we’ve done for them Jay, what I’ve done for us. What we have given up to keep them safe here on the Isle. They can’t know anything that has happen past what they have seen happen. We all know what will happen if we fail Maleficent. We fail and us dying will be mercy.”

“I know,” Jay answers, his lips twisting into a frown.

“Promise me,” Evie pleads looking into the taller teenager’s eyes. “Swear to me we’ll protect them.”

Jay wants to hesitate, but he sees the fear in Evie’s eyes. He knows himself well enough to know that the same look is reflected in his own brown gaze. What has happened to them? They’re villains, delinquents, evil—they should not care about other people. Everyone on the Isle knows that it is every man for themselves, yet Evie, Carlos, and Mal have carved their way into his heart. He would never be able to leave them behind just like Evie cannot.

“I promise,” Jay says earnestness bleeding into his tone.

It’s a good enough answer for Evie and she turns ready to spend one last night in the hellhole that been their childhood. Next to her Jay rights himself ready to follow through with whatever the princess may need.

“We should head back,” Evie comments. “I don’t want them wondering where we are, not if we leave early tomorrow.”

Together they venture down; down to their lair in the middle of the Isle’s town. Down there they’ll spend the night before retreating to their ‘homes’ and leaving behind everything that’s made them who they are.

  ***********

“You were gone for a while with Jay,” Mal points out once she is sure that the boys have fallen asleep. Her grey eyes are glued onto the blue haired girl lying next to her. Jay snores lightly on the other side of Evie and Carlos is tucked into the older boy.

Evie sighs and turns to face the younger girl. Her movements are careful and light ensuring she won’t wake Jay next to her. They all need their rest. Evie’s big brown eyes adjust to the increase of light flowing through the space’s only window. The moon shines onto the cement floor and illuminates Mal’s face enough to see intrigued eyes and purple roots. Evie takes her time tracing the partial fae’s features with her own gaze. She’s well aware of the ever-growing impatient stare, with a last fleeting glance at thin lips, Evie answers.

“I had some debts to settle,” Evie answers, her lie goes over smoothly. The pit of her stomach burns at the idea that the Evil Queen’s daughter could pull one over Maleficent’s own child. “Jay was an insurance policy.”

Mal hums not entirely distrusting Evie’s words. Debts on the Isle are always to be settled, and the purple haired teen knows that Evie is more than capable of taking care of herself. She can see the pros of taking Jay as added muscle too. Accepting the answer as vague as it is, Mal shuffles closer to the older girl. Evie welcomes the warm presence and pulls Mal’s head onto her shoulder. A paler arm drapes over a blue vest and Evie watches slender fingers toy with Jay’s vest fringes.

In their layer, the four of them have a safe place, a secret shared between them. They protect each other and do what they can together. And in the quiet of the night they allow themselves to relax. They allow themselves to forget everything—forget that come the next day they were expected to fit in at Auradon to steal a wand and liberate their parents. Here in their safe space, the four of them share an old pull out couch. They share the space and each other’s warmth.

Evie pulls Mal closer to her, making sure she feels the other girl’s body against her own. The arm that’s closet to Jay finds itself wrapping around the boy’s bicep. And if Evie was to raise her head she would see Carlos’ white curls. This is her family—the people she cares about, her greatest weakness as a villain.

And some part of Evie knows that these three individuals will cost her everything. She’s sure that they will bring an unimaginable level of pain one day, but the blue haired teen can’t bring herself to care.

 


	2. So I'm a Misfit?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In their layer, the four of them have a safe place, a secret shared between just them. And deep down they all know that in some paradoxical way they are each other’s greatest strengths and each other’s greatest weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in regards to this chapter it gives a little more back drop to Evie and the VKs lives on the Isle, so warning that abuse is mentioned. This chapter is more generalized, but the next one should really start digging at the core plot of this story. Although, I did enjoy writing it. Any mistakes are mine, if something is major please point it out and let me know. Enjoy and please, leave any comments to further improve.

_Three months earlier from Ben's Coronation_

“M,” Evie whispers, feeling Jay shift to her left starting to wake up from his slumber. “M? It’s time to wake up.”

Mal for her part does not move instead the purplette chooses to snuggle deeper into Evie. The bluenette chuckles at the action and can’t help but feel affection for the smaller girl in her arms. Evie’s hand comes to brush purple strands away from Mal’s forehead, well aware that their time of rest is coming to an end as Carlos begins to sit up and Jay is following suit. Carefully, Evie brings herself to a sitting position taking care of Mal’s posture.

“Mal,” Evie sings into the paler girl’s ear. “Sweetie, it’s time to wake up. We need to go get ready.”

“I don’t wanna,” Mal mumbles, her hand coming up to rub her eyes.

“None of us do,” Evie laughs, slipping her arm away. They need to get up and leave, it won’t be long before their parents wake.

At the loss of warmth Mal reluctantly opens her eyes. She blinks the bleariness away and slowly things begin coming into shape. Jay is up and stretching, his gaze is unfocused and he’s relatively quiet. If it had been any other day Mal is sure he would have teased her for acting like a clingy child. Carlos is off in his own corner packing his meager belongings into a trash bag. He’s careful with his computer even though the screen is cracked in more places than one and half the keyboard is missing. Mal makes a mental note to herself to find the boy a legitimate backpack or sack. Evie on the other hand is the most composed, not that Mal is surprised. She’s sitting in front of her broken mirror finishing applying the correct amount of makeup. Her brushstrokes are precise and measured, next to her are two bags one being the oldest child’s handbag with makeup and her mother’s magic mirror, as well as, two alchemy books. The other is filled with Evie’s week worth of outfits, much like Carlos’, Jay’s, and her own bags, they don’t have much clothing and even then three of those seven outfits were made by Evie for each of them.

“Mal go get ready,” Evie calls meeting grey eyes through the fragmented mirror.

Mal rolls her eyes, but follows suit, her bag with clothing is packed. All that’s missing is her sketchpad, mother’s spell book, and a couple of spray cans she wants to take with her, those easily fit inside her backpack. Like most people on the Isle, they don’t have a lot of significant belongings so it does not take them long to be fully prepared.

“We should head out,” Jay points out a couple minutes later. He’s standing in front of the window, from there he sees the beginning rays of light coloring the sky.

Carlos having finished comes to join Jay at the top of the stairs to their hideout. Mal begins to follow only to be stopped by Evie.

“Wait,” the older girl mentions as she walks towards her sewing station. “I have something for us.”

She pulls out four leather jackets similar, yet different from the ones they currently have.

“Eves,” Jay teases, “we already have ours.”

“You remember the ones that got ruined fighting Uma over her turf a couple of months back,” Evie continues ignoring Jay’s taunt. “I finally found a way to fix them. They should be enough to scandalize Auradon.”

Carlos is the first one to reach out for his own jacket. He knows how much time Evie spends on these and he smiles slightly seeing her work. It’s a lighter red than the one he currently owns, the color having faded from the salt water breeze; in the front there’s a chest plate of pure black leather instead of red, while in the back his signature cross bones are outlined in white. What catches his eye is the small stitches along the actual neck line; it’s a gold cobra, a purple dragon, and a blue crown. Evie’s managed to mark him in his new jacket without drawing attention away from the bones. Slowly he slips on his jacket and shoots the girl a brighter smile—it falls from his face as he hears a screech in the distance.

_“CARLOS!”_

“I’ll see you guys later,” Carlos mumbles sprinting away with the trash bag. He avoids meeting Mal or Jay’s eyes as he flies down the stairs.

“I hate her so much,” Jay hisses, knowing that by the time they meet up to leave for Auradon, Carlos will be sporting some kind of physical punishment for not attending to Cruella’s every wish and need.

“Here,” Evie says handing over Jay’s piece. Her stomach churns at the thought of Carlos and his relationship with his mother. He’s the sweetest person Evie knows, yet his mother is sadistic and cruel beyond words.

The thief takes the piece of clothing into his hands, noting that this leather ensemble has sleeves, something he is not very fond of. It’s practically all maroon unlike his vest which is a balance of the red, black, and a dirty yellow. The cobra on the back is stitched in a dirtied gold that probably took Evie ages to find, he’ll have to ask but he’s not sure he wants to know the answer to how she got it. It’s also outlined in black making it all more prominent to anyone who knows his logo. The shoulders are black and just like Carlos’ jacket, Jay’s neck collar holds three much smaller tokens in a yellow thread—a crown, a dragon, and the crossed bones.

“I’ll see you two later,” Jay settles for answering as he nods towards Evie. He is grateful and that’s conveyed through his soft eyes, but he also knows that he’s running late. He’ll have to swipe something on his way back to his father to avoid a beating.

Evie frowns watching him leave, knowing it is on her for keeping him here longer than she should have.

“It’s not your fault if he gets beaten,” Mal comments her eyes glued onto the small frown that appears on Evie’s face as Jay’s footsteps echo. “All our parents are crap. They probably will beat us just because we’re going to Auradon. They don’t need an excuse to hurt us.”

“I know,” Evie sighs. “I just wish they would hold off on their punishment. That they would let us prove ourselves with the wand and realize that we are the villains. We are the ones who will succeed.”

Mal laughs, she hopes Evie is right. She really cannot come back empty handed—her mother would punish her worse than death.

“Alright, where’s mine Princess?” Mal questions turning to look at the taller girl.

“Always so charming,” Evie mocks, as she hands over Mal’s new jacket.

If Evie is being honest with herself, which she is not, she hopes Mal won’t be disappointed with it. She spent the longest time on Mal’s, even longer than her own, wanting to make sure to get it just right. It’s a dark purple leather and instead of it zipping in a diagonal like the one she currently owns, the front zipper is straight through the middle. The back had a dragon stitched meticulously in black, green, lighter purple, and grey; it’s the most elaborate design that Evie has done. There’s a silver chain hanging over the left breast with three silver pendants—a crown (the same one that Evie had given to Mal years back when she claimed her as an ally), a bone, and a lamp.

“Oh wow,” Mal murmurs as she runs her fingers over the stitching. “You really outdid yourself. How long did these take?”

“Ages,” Evie answers. “I was planning on showing them off next time we tried to fight Uma, but I thought now would be a better time.”

Still looking at her jacket in awe Mal asks: “What about you?”

When she hears Evie shuffling, grey eyes look up to see her best friend changing into the new jacket. It’s blue—navy blue, much like all of Evie’s clothing, and it’s longer than Mal’s ending halfway down Evie’s ass to be exact. The blue haired girl twirls, showing off the giant very realistic looking blood red heart that is completed by a black and gold crown hanging off it. Mal is incredibly impressed with Evie’s sewing skills, nothing Evie has made compares to these designs. In the front the zipper is off center and more towards the left, thus the chain with the pendants claiming she is marked hangs above the right breast. Hanging off the rusted color chain is another lamp and bone pendant, as well as, Mal’s ring from when the half-fae had claimed her back when they were eleven. The ring is a wrapped gold dragon, the yellow having lost its shine, but Mal is surprised Evie has kept it this long.

“Jesus, E,” Mal praises. “These are amazing.”

“Do you like them?” Evie says trying as hard as she can to sound nonchalant.

Mal nods and Evie lets out a relieved sigh. The tension over her friend rejecting her work leaving her shoulders. Outside they begin to hear the movement of the island and they know it’s too late to avoid any form of punishment from their mothers. Together they walk down the stairs and part ways down the alley well aware that next time they see one another will be on their transport towards Auradon. 

  ***********

_“Bring home the gold!” “Bring home a puppy!” “Bring home a prince!”_

They all let out a collective sigh as the limousine pulls away and sink into the seats, letting their eyes drift shut if only for a second.

Evie is the first one to open her eyes and survey her group of friends. Jay seems to be alright except for the shallow breathing, Jafar must have struck him in the ribs with his staff. Carlos is paler than usual and his hair is mussed up, but it appears that Cruella didn’t physically hit him this time. He’s shaking, however, and his arms are stiff—Evie’s hands curl into fists, her nails digging into her palms, she’s sure there are at least ten new cigarette burns on each arm. Her brown eyes travel to the person sitting on her left; Mal’s eyes are still closed and from what she can tell the shorter girl is not in any form of physical pain.

“I’m fine, E,” Mal mentions, opening her eyes. “Mother thought it would be best to not harm me before we reach the mainland. At least all the scars are hidden underneath clothes.”

Evie wants to laugh alongside Mal’s mirthless chuckle, but chooses to not to. For the most part Evie’s type of torment has been different. The Evil Queen for fear of marring her daughter has refrained from too much corporal punishment. Evie can count on one hand and have a finger left over the scars her mother has left on her tangible person. Psychological pain, well her mother is an expert at that much like Maleficent. Evie is sure she is as messed up as they can get. Carlos is the worst of them, though, Cruella is psychotic. There is no beginning nor end to her crazy. Jafar well, he sells his son to the highest bidder if he believes it will be worse than anything he can inflict. Evie shudders at the thought of what they live with, what they do to survive—what she has done to survive. Evie is not a saint, she wouldn’t be considered even close if anyone was to find out the extent of her wicked ways.

“What about you?” Mal asks, as the silence stretches on. Jay’s breathing is still shallow but more in control that it was a few minutes ago. Carlos has begun to regain feeling in his arms and is slowly reaching out towards the candy lined up in front of them.

“I’ll be okay,” Evie says, and she shifts at the glare she receives from the other girl. “I just have a twisted ankle. I won’t be able to put a lot of weight on it, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Mal purses her lips and Evie wants to apply the most amazing shade of light pink on them. The purplette is smirking at the noises the boys make as they try every assortment of candy in front of them. Her hands find a remote and Mal curiously begins to push all the buttons. Evie only lies back, her gaze flitting to and fro, not settling on anything. The screen between them and the driver slinks down as Mal pushes another button and Evie turns. Her face pales immediately as she sees the gate leading directly to the ocean come into direct view.

“ _Amira_ ,” Jay says around mouthfuls of candy, noticing the stiff posture of the oldest teen.

“Look,” Evie exclaims, not knowing exactly what to feel except an emptiness in her stomach as the water draws nearer.

Carlos’ face pales even more as the four of them stare in horror towards their impending deaths. In the loudest voice he can muster, he shouts what they all know: “It’s a trap!”

They don’t have to times to say goodbye or anything sentimental, not that they would because they’re villains, but they do cling to each other as panicked screams burn their throats. Jay pulls Carlos and Evie into him, ignoring the throb of his ribs. Carlos sobs into the taller boys shoulder, his arms sting, but he pushes through that because these might be his last moments alive. Evie feels Jay’s arm wrap around her as she closes her eyes, instinctively she brings up a knee and wraps her right arm around it. Her left arm reaches out to pull her best friend towards their huddle. Mal shuffles as close as possible eyes screwed shut and somewhere in all the chaos their hands meet and squeeze with no mercy.

Yet, the cold water does not come neither does the feeling of falling. Instead a blinding light and rush of warm air encompasses them. As they open their eyes they notice that the water is underneath them, below a shimmering gold bridge.

“What just happened?” Carlos asks, not understanding what was going on.

Evie chuckles in awe. “It must be magic,” she adds breathlessly.

Mal is already demanding to know and she is met with a jaunty comeback that has her grinning and taking a liking to the “nasty” driver.

It is magic, Evie concludes as she feels something coursing through her veins. It’s this raw force, and overwhelming need to crawl its way to the surface. Her brown eyes widen at the idea that she,  _she_ , the daughter ofThe Evil Queen contains magic. But if she does then so must Jay and definitely Mal. Her gaze flickers towards the boys only to see Carlos begin to drift off on Jay’s shoulder and Jay smiling as he continues to stuff his face. Brown eyes trail over towards purple hair and Evie finds herself staring at Mal who is looking out the window.

“What?” Mal asks, but her tone lacks the normal attitude.

“Nothing,” Evie settles on answering. She wants to ask Mal about magic. If she feels anything? If what Evie has is actual magic or not? So many questions, but the Princess bites her tongue. Mal does not need any more distractions. They need to focus on getting the wand and bringing it back to the Isle. So she won’t let her friend know that she feels something unearthal streaming through her, not yet at least. “Just amazed.”

“Yeah,” Mal agrees humming lightly, still looking out the window.

They don’t speak for the rest of the hour-long journey, instead they eventually all fall asleep, Mal leaning onto Evie’s shoulder and Evie laying across Jay’s chest, mindful of her weight on his bruised ribs.

  ***********

Auradon Preparatory is exactly what the four villains expect it to be. It’s bright and green and everything the Isle isn’t. As they approach the main entrance of the school Mal groans—there’s a crowd and what looks to be a band.

“Tell me you see that too,” Mal points out.

Evie peers over and sees what Mal is looking at. She’s excited, but at the same time she’s dreading it. Evie likes attention, but only if she’s the one manipulating and initiating it.

“Is that for us?” Jay mentions.

“I believe so,” Evie answers and Carlos groans.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Mal states as they draw closer. “Jay, Carlos you guys are going to create a distraction. I need them to see that we are not to be messed with. E, you’re in charge of canvasing and improvising in case of anything going south. We want the wand, that’s it—nothing else matters.”

The car comes to a stop and Mal schools her facial features into a scowl. As the door opens, Jay and Carlos shoot each other a glance before tumbling out of the car in a faux tug of war with what looks to be a blue towel. They are mindful of each other’s injuries, Jay’s careful to not tug too harshly for fear of irritating the burn marks and Carlos makes sure none of his blows actually hit Jay’s chest. Evie stands as straight as possible, putting most of her weight on her right ankle and she sees Mal roll her eyes and cross her arms to her right.

The blue haired girl looks around at the school grounds. In the front are three people; Prince Ben, Princess Audrey, and The Fairy Godmother—Evie identifies. She’s not sure what to make of the carrier of powerful magic. Fairy Godmother is less than she expects, but all the most overbearing—she’d get torn to pieces on the Isle. Princess Audrey looks beautiful and Evie is envious of her and what she has gotten to grow up with, although it is funny how Audrey blows off Jay without a second thought. Evie bets that Aurora never forced her to throw up her lunch or locked her up when she misbehaved. She shakes her head and brings herself back into the present when Mal looks over at her and slightly tilts her head towards Ben who’s introducing himself.

So Evie does what she knows best, she flirts with him just the way Mother taught her. She lays on her charm thick and smooth and Ben smiles back at her. Hook, line, and si—until Audrey wipes the smile right off her face. She regrets taking a liking to Audrey as soon as she’s been dismissed. She can feel Mal glaring at the princess from behind her, Jay is radiating anger in her defense and Carlos is doing his best to not show any form of negative emotion on his face. They all know how much Evie needs a prince to make her mother happy. They all know what she’s gone through to make sure her mother will be proud. And they all can hate the snobbish princess for crushing Evie’s hopes with a comment about something that she will never be able to understand. Evie is grateful that her friends care, but Mother always taught her to be composed so she nods lightly and takes her place next to Carlos. The smaller boy has come close enough to squeeze her hand in support, letting it drop when Evie subtly nods.

Ben is in the midst of approaching them with an overly prepared speech. Evie smiles lightly when Jay punches him instead of taking his hand, taking pleasure in Audrey’s scandalized face. She notes how Ben’s eyes linger on Mal even when she’s pulled her hand back from the handshake and the fact that he doesn’t care that he’s licked “chocolate” from Carlos’s hand. Evie will keep in mind that he shakes her hand with partial saliva, something a prince should not do. She’s brought back to the present with Mal’s voice mocking Ben’s speech.

“Or the day where you showed four people where the bathroom was.”

“A little bit over the top?” Ben chuckles, flustered.

“A little more than a little bit,” Mal taunts bringing her fingers together to show how much.

 

The tour is much longer than what Evie expected. Audrey’s sneer comments make it drag out even more, Evie’s had about enough of it. Ben is either really polite or very dense ignoring his girlfriend’s words and it’s starting to irk the four foreigners. When they reach the entrance hall because was it really necessary to visit the tourney field and every single classroom before the cafeteria, library, offices, pool, literally everything and still not show them their dorms, they have all had enough.

Evie tunes out the words coming out of Ben’s mouth, choosing to look around the hall instead. She's taking notes of the people standing around making sure to commit them to memory; at the bottom of the stairs is a tall, pale, blonde with azure eyes; next to her is an equally tall, black haired girl with Asian ancestry. There’s a younger boy with red hair, freckles, and bright green eyes being chased by a blond with striking resemblance to the blonde girl; and another darker red haired, green eyed male coming from the hallway at the top of the stairs. Although, Evie does tune in back to hear about magic and the fact that the majority of Auradon’s population are ordinary mortals.

“Doug,” Ben calls out and the boy who had led the band when they arrived makes his way down. “Doug, come down.”

Evie can’t help but look over the boy. He’s cute to say the least, not what she’s looking for, but enough for him to pique her interest. Maybe he could be useful and from the corner of her eye, Evie can see Mal subtly nod her head.

“Evie,” Evie interrupts seeing the boy flush. “Evil Queen’s daughter.”

Doug flushes even harder and starts to ramble further on the list he holds in his hands. Evie twirls a piece of her hair around her finger, making sure her eyes stay locked onto Doug’s. Her tongue comes out to wet her lips and she’s sure the boy whimpers slightly in his sentence. But Mal is growing bored and so is Evie, so as Doug mentions something about a remedial goodness class, Mal teases with a sigh.

“Let me guess new class?” Her eyes light up with amusement as they meet Evie’s brown ones and they share a smirk, while Doug does his best not to shudder. Mal continues her domain by letting out in a bored tone. “C’mon guys, let’s find our dorms.”

The villain kids begin to take off after their leader, eager to relax and just get in and get out. Doug calls over his shoulder pointing out in the other direction and they roll their eyes, couldn’t he have said that before they took off. Evie having been the last one to go up the stairs is the first to turn around, ready to jump down with a skip.

As Evie pivots, her ankle painfully wobbles slightly and she curses herself for forgetting that only mere hours before they had been on the Isle, that Mother left her with a small reminder of what awaited if she disappointed her. A small gasp leaves her lips and Evie feels her left leg give out. At the sound Mal, Jay, and Carlos turn—they all know their sounds of surprised pain. Jay’s at least three steps away from her and he’s the one closest to the blue haired girl, still he tries to reach her knowing it’s too late. Evie for her part closes her eyes ready to just slip and hopes that no princes are present to her embarrassing moment, but the stairs don’t greet her. Instead, a cool hand wraps itself around her waist and holds her steady. Evie tenses at the foreign feeling, her eyes snapping open as she faces her savior. The same azure eyes that she’d observed meet her brown and the arm leaves her waist as soon as the girl feel Evie’s apprehensive posture, although her arm hovers behind her.

“You alright?” the blonde asks, her voice is soft. Evie nods as she takes a step away from the stranger and the girl’s arm drops back to her side. From the bottom of the stairs she can hear Audrey snickering—this girl was definitely going to get on her nerves.

“Thank you,” Evie whispers, and she’s well aware of Mal’s steps behind her and Jay and Carlos’ gazes.

“Evie,” Mal calls out reaching her best friend. They share a look and Mal schools her facial features once more, her tone dropping to a more demanding one. “Let’s go.”

Evie turns to follow, but is stopped once more by the blonde’s hand.

“You should ice that ankle,” the blonde mentions, her tone is still smooth with a hint of superiority and that ticks the villains the wrong way. “Then let it rest elevated, it should be good to go in a couple of days.”

For some reason a fire builds in Evie’s chest, what is with Auradon’s population and thinking they know more than her? Evie’s well aware that she has to take care of her ankle and some rational part of her brain tells her that the girl probably didn’t mean it to sound snobbish. Still, this is not her first injury nor is it the worst one she’s been dealt. This  _Princess,_ because there’s no other way to describe the picture perfect beauty and politeness, has never endured anything as daunting as having grown up on the Isle. She’s never had to suffer and work her way through nights of torment, days of no food, wounds that don’t let up, or hours upon hours of claustrophobia. Her brown eyes darken and a salty quip is ready to leave her tongue—but Mal is pulling her away. Mal her best friend, the girl who knows her tells, who recognizes Evie’s thoughts and actions like the back of her hand, the one person she can trust with everything in her. Evie swallows the  _I know_ that’s dying to leave her throat and instead huffs indignantly towards the taller girl as she allows herself to be pulled down the stairs.

“Cool down, Princess,” Mal hisses in her ear once they’re far enough away. “Don’t want to get any wrinkles.”

And Evie listens, she takes a deep breath and tries to let all the tension out of her body. But as they turn the corner, Evie’s brown eyes meet with inquisitive azure tones, and Evie’s left with a mess of emotions. So, Evie does what she knows best and tries to throw her attention at Doug, the boy who’s practically slobbering over her.

  ***********

As Doug leads the girls to their room, Mal can’t help but sport a smirk at the dwarf’s son. Evie chuckles to herself at the boy who can’t stop blushing or stumbling over words; the interaction with the blonde stored away to process later.

“Well here you go,” Doug mentions bashfully as he points at the door. “Dinner is served at seven, curfew is at nine, and if you need anything please let me know.”

The last of his sentence is clearly geared towards Evie and both girls know it.

“Alright, bye,” Mal says uninterested as she opens the door to their room, shutting it behind them. “Wow, it’s bright. I’m going to need some serious sunscreen.”

Evie rolls her eyes at the comment, agreeing with the statement nonetheless. “Yes, you are.”

They look around taking into account the canopy beds, single four person table, tv and sound system, dressers, and side tables. It’s everything Evie imagined Auradon Prep would be. She’s conflicted; part of her is an awe while the other part is feeling extremely unsettled.

As she gapes from the center of the room, her mouth decides to voice exactly what’s going through her head; “Wow, this place is so amaz—”

“Gross,” Mal corrects shooting her a small glare and Evie quickly follows along, even as she lets out a silent squeal at the sight of the room. “E.”

With the point of an index finger the blue haired girl understands what Mal is asking her to do. Quickly she shuts the blinds and it’s surprising how much comfier she feels in her skin at the subdued light. The dorm is amazing and gross, both words contain some truth to them. It’s open, clean (too clean), fake in a way, and bright—things neither girl is accustomed to. It’s also too pink for either of their tastes. In a way it really is too much for both villains. So with the blinds drawn their nerves are diminished. They feel better in the dark having grown up in it.

Evie’s mind is racing a mile a minutes as she takes in all the details of the dorm once again. Thanks to the decrease of sunlight, everything becomes much clearer for the older girl as she takes her time to look around. She frowns slightly at the space and how open it is. It’s too easy for someone to come in and attack, they’re out in the open vulnerable to any enemies. Her frown deepens as her brain begins to point all the negative aspects of the room, all the downfalls. And the part of her brain that is engrained with her Mother’s lessons begins to reprimand her for being ungrateful. This is what Princess and Prince’s expect, where they live. She should be happy here. She should not want more than this, but all Evie feels is distraught and empty. It’s too unrealistic for her to feel comfortable. How fucked up is that? To not feel at home at this site, at what her mother has wanted for her and groomed her into looking for? Could it be that the magic she feels coursing through her body is corrupting her thoughts?

“Evie,” Mal calls out waving a pale hand in front of Evie’s face.

“Huh,” Evie mumbles blinking and shaking her head. Mal is sporting a small grin at the head in the cloud attitude from the taller girl and Evie blushes choosing to smooth out her skirt so she doesn’t look into amused grey-green eyes—wait what?. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“I noticed,” Mal laughs before she realizes Evie is staring. “E, what is it?”

“Your eyes,” Evie states, raising her hand to gently take ahold of Mal’s chin. “They’re green, not like when you and your mom do your thing…but the grey, it has specks of green.”

Evie’s voice turns into a whispered awe near the end and this time Mal is the one to blush. She shakes her head making the other girl drop her hand.

“Must be the magic,” Mal concludes and Evie freezes thinking Mal knows about the fact that Evie can feel magic, but that’s ridiculous and she quickly plasters on a smile. “Let’s go find the boys, Princess.”

Evie nods heading to door and her stomach warms at the fact that Mal addresses her as Princess. The partial fae had always teased her to be a princess, but she appreciates the nickname so much more now that Audrey had essentially taken away any of her hopes.


	3. Can You Blame Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something oh so thrilling about being ahead of one's opponent. Evie smiles to herself as she watches Fairy Godmother stutter.  
> There's something oh so satisfying about robbing someone of their breath. Evie smirks as Doug trips over himself.  
> There's something oh so exciting about engaging in debate with a person of equal wit and fire. Evie grins at the idea that Andrea might prove to be quite the challenge.  
> There's nothing, however, that will ever be able to remove the fear from one's heart of rejection. Evie bites her lip as she watches Ben hover over Mal, longing noticeable in her brown orbs.  
> And there's nothing dignified about the tears Evie sheds in private over broken happily ever afters.

_Three Months Prior to Ben’s Coronation_

“Seriously?” Evie states glancing at Jay’s bed. “This is what you could score?”

Her eyes trail over the belongings Jay managed to scavenge. There’s a nice wallet that catches her attention, with a little work it could be useful to her. Mal’s already reaching towards what appears to be a phone and Carlos sits tweaking the computer that Jay had swiped from the library simultaneously playing a videogame.

“That’s all you can say?” Jay groans at the unimpressed tone. “I swiped these things in front of Ben and Audrey for heaven’s sake.”

“It’d be better if you could have swiped the wand,” Mal comments uninterested. “Speaking of, Evie mirror me.”

Evie nods, coming to the table where the other three had gathered. She pulls out the cracked mirror Mother cherished during prior years. She can feel the magic coursing through it just like the magic swirling in her veins.

“Mirror, mirror on—in my hand,” Evie says, being careful with the words she chooses to use. “Where does Fairy Godmother’s wand stand?”

The glass mists over and Evie feels nerves across her body as her friends lean in closer. Slowly, the white wand with gold intricacies appears and Evie lets out a silent thank you to Hades for allowing her a small victory. There’s not much to go by with the image but its start.

“Zoom out,” Carlos suggests.

“Magic mirror not so close,” Evie whispers, and groans as the picture shifts to show Earth in space. “Closer, closer, _closer—_ ”

“Stop,” Jay exclaims, wrapping his hand around Evie’s wrist.

Mal’s face lights up with glee and Carlos frowns because he was so close to finishing the level on the video game.

“It’s in a museum,” Mal sighs with a smile. “Carlos.”

“On it,” the youngest of the four answers, already typing away. “Its two point three miles from here…my guess is we’re going by foot?”

“Yes,” Mal answers, her face turning serious. “Just to remind you what this means for us. We need the wand. This is our chance to show our parents that we’re evil, mean, cruel, and vicious.”

“Of course,” Evie answers as she stands, making her way towards the door. “Now, who’s ready to break some rules?”

They all chuckle and Mal is the first one out the door. It’s time for the villains to get their revenge.

***********

“I can’t believe, Jay was stupid enough to go against what I said,” Mal complains as she throws herself onto the bed.

Evie rolls her eyes from her own bed. Mal is being a slight drama queen not that the purplette has a reason to not be disappointed. It’s not like Evie can judge her friend, she’s also upset with Jay because he should have known better, but the blunette can’t fault him because she felt the pull of the wand. She felt the begging the object cried out for. She’s not foolish and knows that the barrier was also there to entice people, but still. She wasn’t looking forward to class, especially if they turned out to be as boring as the ones back in Dragon Hall.

Not to mention Evie can’t shake the image of her Mother from the museum. She had frozen on the spot when they passed the Gallery of Villains. Who the hell decides to replicate those who had caused so much torment? Evie shudders under her covers, as her memory plays back the single word she had uttered at the wax figurine: _Mommy?_ Why? Why is she so attached to the woman who had caused irreparable damage to herself? Of course Evie’s corrupt nature isn’t solely based off what her mother put her through. Not a single person grows up unscathed on the Isle of the Lost. Yet, Mommy—no, _Mother_ has caused her so much pain. They all have, it’s not like Evie missed Carlos’ face turn white at the sight of Cruella or Jay’s shiver. But probably, the one that hit Evie the most was Mal’s blank stare and longing and fear in her eyes. Her best friend stood frozen to the point that Evie had to come back for her after finding the wand. She had never seen Mal look so lost before and that was the moment Evie realized how important it is for them to retrieve the wand. How important it is for them to liberate their parents, to prove themselves as not only useful, but evil. Indubitably, they now needed a new course of action; one that needed to be better panned out. Evie’s sure she can come up with a decent plan, but she needs her rest and like it or not they are students at Auradon Prep now.

“You can berate him all you want tomorrow, Mal,” Evie comments, tuning back to the half-fae’s meeker whines. “For now let’s deal with one problem at a time.”

The room goes quiet. The blinds are drawn and the lights are out, but neither girl can sleep. They’re both wide awake looking at the canopies of their own beds, and it’s been at least an hour since they stopped talking.

“E?” Mal calls out quietly, afraid that the older girl might have already fallen asleep.

“M?” Evie replies, sitting up in her bed.

“This bed is too soft,” Mal’s voice is a whisper. It’s unsure, scared and Evie feels her heart break at the tone.

“I know,” Evie agrees, and they are too soft. These beds were too much. On the Isle softness was a luxury no one could afford.

Standing up, Evie gathers the comforter and her two pillows. She sets them down on the floor and creates a makeshift cot between both beds.

“Come here,” Evie beckons and she hears Mal move around. “Bring your comforter.”

Two minutes later Evie feels her best friend lying next to her. They take a few minutes to reposition and settle themselves. Evie’s lying closer to her bed with her back flat against the floor. Mal is snuggling into the older girl seeking not only warmth, but some sort of familiarity. This is how it’s always been between them, at least since they claimed each other back on the Isle. They have each other’s back and in the darkness away from prying eyes, they can fully rely and disclose everything that scares them.

“Do you think the boys’ are having a hard time falling asleep?” Evie asks, running her hand through Mal’s purple tresses. She can feel the tenseness in the other girl’s shoulders, not that she’s ever felt them relaxed because they’ve never been relaxed, but she still hopes that the familiar motion will soothe some of the anguish.

The shorter girl snorts and shakes her head lightly, “No. They probably fell asleep within minutes.”

Mal’s glad to have Evie. The older girl despite what others’ observed on the Isle is just as much her protector as the half-fae is to her. Evie has an incredibly sharp mind, one that people dismiss because of her Mother’s fame and Evie’s own pretty face. But not Mal, not anymore at least—when they first met, yes. Evie was just the Princess of the Isle and Mal despised her. Granted that was also because Evie hadn’t invited her to her birthday party—it was later discovered that the Evil Queen and Maleficent had gotten into a territory fight and Ursula had intervened and things spiraled out of control. But by then Mal and Evie had gotten through most of their issues and had claimed one another as allies in the eyes of the Isle population.

“True,” Evie muses giggling. “Carlos is going to need to get earplugs. If Jay’s snoring was horrible on the Isle where he slept uncomfortably, it’ll be worse here.”

Mal laughs lightly at Evie’s observation before she goes quiet. Her eyes begin to close and she can feel Evie start to still her hand.

“Do you think we’ll be able to pull this off?” Mal’s voice is a whisper that if it weren’t for the closeness between them, Evie would have not been able to hear it.

Evie pauses and runs through the scenarios she’s begun to plot through. It will not be easy to pull off, but with enough of a plan and if they work together than yes.

“I think we will,” Evie answers. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but yes.”

“We’re going to need an actual plan,” Mal sighs, shifting so she can look into her friend’s eyes.

“Yes, we are,” Evie replies glancing to her friend’s grey-green eyes. She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth as she can feel her brain begin to shift gears. “I’ll work on some ideas tomorrow, but for now it would be better if we rested. We have Remedial Goodness at seven-thirty tomorrow and we both know, I am not a morning person.”

Mal rolls her eyes, but nods. Yes, while Evie may act like a Princess and have the grace of a monarch, she was not a cup of sunshine without proper sleep and some sort of shitty coffee.

***********

Its five minutes to seven when Jay and Carlos reach Mal and Evie’s room. They have half an hour before they need to reach their class and it would be an understatement to assume that the four of them are nervous.

“Are you guys ready?” Jay calls out as Carlos and he knock on the girl’s door.

They hear shuffling and a couple of minutes later, Mal opens the door with Evie in tow. The half-fae waves and Evie nods her head halfheartedly to the boys. The group of four makes their way to the cafeteria where they’re greeted by a mostly empty room, noticing that most students probably don’t have class until later in the morning. The same blonde from the entrance hall is sitting at a table with the tall darker red head, next to them are Audrey and Doug. The Isle kids pay them no mind as they take a seat at the table closest to the door, but also giving them a view of the whole room. Two by two they go pick up their breakfast; first the girls and then the boys, always observant and in tune to their surroundings.

Despite having gotten the tour the previous day and the explanation to how the cafeteria worked for the student body, it takes the villains’ time to process the amount of food in front of them. The Isle was mostly fed off Auradon’s garbage and if you didn’t fight or trade for what you had then you probably wouldn’t eat. The four of them had had plenty of nights like those, Carlos and Evie more than Jay and Mal for sure.

“I still can’t believe they throw away food,” Jay mumbles as he takes a seat across from Mal, Carlos sitting in front of Evie.

“They’re pompous assholes,” Mal comments taking a bite of her toast. It’s not that she doesn’t want to eat or try more of the things in front of her, but her stomach isn’t used to these foods. Not only that, but if any of them suddenly began to stuff their faces the food would only come back out. They all knew that—they’d seen it happen too many times to count, experienced it too. “Jay slow down.”

The thief rolls his eyes, but does as asked. His plate is probably the one with the most amount of food: some scrambled eggs and a slice of toast. Carlos sits eating a bowl of sugary cereal with chocolate milk. Mal has two slices of toast and a glass of water. Evie has a bowl of fruit: three apples slices, some orange fruit, and three red triangle shaped pieces—they don’t have the orange fruit or triangle things on the island, so they don’t know what to call them. The blue haired girl also has a cup of coffee in front of her, but that remains untouched until her fruit is gone.

“How did you sleep?” Carlos questions as he slurps his breakfast.

Evie shoots him a glare at the noise—they may have grown up among trash, but if there’s one thing Evie hates, its people with no table manners. She’s done eating, but not fully awake to interact with her friends and the other three know well enough to not interact with Evie before she is ready in the mornings. They all have their fair share of stories on a not fully awake princess. Mal ended up wearing pink for a week after trying to engage Evie in a task once. Carlos found half of his tech projects dismantled and missing because he wanted to scavenge the market and Evie was the only person available that morning. And Jay, Jay had ended up with several black eyes for interrupting the older girl’s rest multiple times.

Mal shrugs her shoulder as she turns to the other girl who mimics the action.

“We ended up on the floor,” Mal says. “Those beds felt too weird.”

Jay nods and Carlos hums his agreement. They remain quiet finishing off the food in front of them.

“Holy shit,” Evie moans as her lips leave the cup of steaming coffee in front of her. “This stuff is amazing.”

“Finally ready to join the land of the living, E?” Mal teases and turns to avoid the taller girl’s elbow jab.

“You’re lucky this coffee is the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” Evie hisses as she glares at the other girl. “Or we both know, you’d be walking to class with a bruised cheekbone.”

Mal laughs well humoredly and the boys chuckle. There’s no doubt in Evie’s words. They fully believe that the older girl is capable of harming them when she’s not in the mood to be messed with.

“We should head to class,” Carlos points out glancing at the clock above the door.

They stand and Evie reluctantly sets down the empty mug, knowing there isn’t enough time for another cup. Grabbing their bags, they exit the cafeteria and walk the long hallway leading them to the lecture hall where they’ll have their first class together.

“What’s the plan?” Jay questions as they walk.

Their class is with Fairy Godmother and knowing Mal she has a plan on how she wants things to play out.

“I want her to think we’re clueless,” Mal mentions. “But I want to make it clear that we intend to fit in. So sell the parts that you want to.”

Evie nods her head and groans slightly; boys were boys wherever she went and that meant that most preferred a girl who abides by their rules and standards.

“Time to act like a ditz,” Evie whispers softly.

Mal’s eyes soften at the downcast tone in her friend’s comment and she knows the boys heard it too. They all know how hard it is for Evie to reel in her actual character and not the personality she chooses to portray. The Evil Queen is insistent on her daughter dumbing herself down in public and using her looks to attain what she needs and while Evie’s sewing skills are none par; Evie is a lot smarter than that.

“I’m sure they’ll be a class where you can show off,” Carlos states as they enter the empty classroom.

“Yeah,” Mal agrees. “All the princes will flock to your side.”

Jay only lays a supportive hand on Evie’s shoulder and the blue haired girl squeezes it. She appreciates her friends and that they all try and know what she needs to hear. Evie lets go of Jay’s hand and moves to sit next to Mal at the shared table. The boys sit one table over and two minutes later Fairy Godmother walks in.

  ***********

Hades, is this class boring—Evie thinks rolling her eyes. First of all, Fairy Godmother is treating them like three year olds. She’s speaking and over enunciating all her words. Second, she pauses and over exaggerates the correct answer to all her questions. Third, is she blind? Can she not tell that Mal is sketching new designs and the wand in her notebook, or that Carlos is working on a new layout for something he would like to build, while Jay is writing a list of all the things they need and that she’s sure he’ll steal given the chance? Hell, Evie herself isn’t paying attention—she’s too busy reading a book she had managed to nick from the library about magic. Of course, she’s reading it under the pretense that it’s her chemistry textbook seeing as how that’s her next class, not to mention Mal is sitting right next to her.

Evie’s just about to read the chapter of differentiating magical abilities between differing species when Mal slips her a piece of paper.

_This class is the most pointless thing I have ever attended. And that’s saying something because we had Evil 101 with Hans.-M_

The blue haired girl snickers at the note before she scribbles down a reply.

_I know right. Does she think we’re dumb because our parents were villains? Or do you think she speaks to all students that way? Like, fuck, our parents were evil not stupid.-E_

_I think we should have some fun stressing her out? How about it?-M_

_How much stress?-E_

_Let’s see what she can handle.-M_

And Evie smirks at her best friend who’s sporting the same grin. The oldest teen smiles to herself as she thinks of what exactly she can say to tick off the head mistress without getting her in trouble. She shakes her head as she tunes back into the current question written on the board and grins, she’ll start by playing dumb and make her way from there.

“—or D. Carve out its heart?”

Gasping in mock excitement Evie draws the attention to herself, Fairy Godmother calls out to her almost immediately. “Evie?”

Turning to smile at Mal, Evie plasters on the look of total confusion to her face.

“What was the second one?” Her voice comes out in a whispered question, although her eyes glimmer with sarcasm.

“Oh, I see, anyone else?” Fairy Godmother exhales, her face falling. “Mal?”

Mal rolls her eyes, this woman was making it too easy to hate her. “C. You give it a bottle.”

“Correct, again,” Fairy Godmother praises and Evie wants to throw up because she’s speaking to Mal as if she was a baby who babbled for the first time.

“You are on fire, girl,” comes Carlos’s voice and Evie chuckles because god, did he make the comment sound gay. But also because he just allowed Mal an entry way to taunt the Fairy which will allow Evie’s banter to actually initiate.

“Just pick the one that’s the most boring,” Mal comments rolling her eye and Evie nods thinking of what she can say.

Jane—Fairy Godmother’s daughter walks by scared by their presence, and Evie snickers. None of these kids would last a day on the Isle if they could barely share a space with the four of them. Not to mention Jane is clearly uncomfortable when her mother introduces her although, Evie notes that Carlos’ eyes trail after the girl as she leaves. Following the interruption Fairy Godmother continues and as she asks the next question Evie, Jay, and Carlos’s hands go up. Jay answers the question correctly and Evie uses the opportunity to ask a question of her own.

“Fairy Godmother,” Evie calls out and watches as the woman turns to look at her. “If we’re supposed to turn over the poison to the proper authorities or give the baby a bottle, how will we know if you will believe us?”

The Headmistress’s brow furrows not entirely understanding the question. “What do you mean, Evie?”

“Well,” Evie drawls out as she signals to herself and her friends. “We’re the children of villains, right? So even if we did the “correct” thing what are the chances you would actually believe us?”

The woman blinks at the honesty behind the question and Evie smirks to herself for catching the other woman off-guard. There’s always something so exciting about being one step ahead of the other person.

“Furthermore, I’ve been reading about Auradon and its court of law,” Evie continues to speak. “You don’t have any laws about crime and punishment. It’s almost as if those things do not exist here. And while the Isle of the Lost was created twenty years ago, there is almost no information on how the decision came to be. I find it morally intriguing how a kingdom that came together through unity decided not only to banish the criminals to an island, but also bring back to life half of its population…”

Fairy Godmother’s jaw drops at the bombardment of information and Mal wants to double over in laughter. Carlos is doing his best to not jump up and high-five Evie on a job well done to pick under peoples skin. And Jay is grinning because not only does he understand everything Evie is saying, but from the corner of his eye he sees at least three students stop and stare at the blue haired girl. For the first time the four villain kids are glad that their classroom is an open lecture hall because it’s more than Fairy Godmother that these questions are meant for. They’re here for the time being and they want to make it known that Auradon is responsible for the Isle of the Lost. The four of them want to make it clear that they’re not stupid and ignorant, rather the citizens of Auradon have a duty and a long way to go before rectifying the mistake that was the island. Evie for her part keeps going, her eyes sparkle with curiosity because it is true that she wants to know these things. And her voice is not only strong, but its steady something she knows is getting at the older woman.

 “…what about the ethics and regulations for the inhabitants of the Isle? There seems to be no real policy or manual on how the crown serves the people there. The Isle of the Lost is in Auradon’s jurisdiction thus, it is on King Adam’s shoulders to provide for its people. Yet, there are no public records on how that takes place. In fact all I have found is the praise at the exclusion of the villains. So going back to my original question—even if we performed those acts of quote-unquote goodness, how are we sure people would believe us?”

If it’s possible Fairy Godmother’s jaw drops even further and her eyes begin to twitch. Evie has managed to hit a nerve and she knows it. So, being the person she is Evie comes to rest her joined hands in front of her at the top of her desk and leans closer to the front of the room. Her brown eyes are fixed against Fairy Godmother’s own gaze and it’s clear the teen is waiting for an answer.

“Well,” Fairy Godmother begins stammering to clear her throat. “While you’re right about the regulations and lack of public record about the creation and maintenance of the Isle, it is for security that those documents are well stored. We wouldn’t anyone to get their hands on them. In regards to people believing you are doing something for good, it is Auradon’s nature to trust. After all, we have nothing to fear here.”

“What about the ethics around the Isle and moral decisions taken?” Evie mentions, unsatisfied by the first answers to her questions. Fairy Godmother shivers in distress and the squirming paints a smirk across Evie’s features. Good, this should teach the headmistress to not dismiss the blue haired girl for an airhead.

“Umm, well, Evie—” Fairy Godmother begins only to be interrupted by the bell, where she whispers. “Oh thank god…It looks like time is up. I’ll see you tomorrow at the same to pick up on where we left off.”

The villains roll their eyes but begin to pack up knowing they each have to go their own ways. Mal has math for two hours and then history with Evie for another two, while Carlos and Jay head to history for two hours before two hours of gym class, Evie on the other hand has an hour and a half of chemistry followed by a thirty minute study hall and then two hours of history alongside Mal—they’ll meet up for lunch following their next two periods. As they leave the room, Mal pulls Evie closer and murmurs to her:

“Fuck E, I said stress her out not give her a heart attack.”

The comment is followed by Mal’s throaty laugh and Evie joins her in a snigger.

“Technically,” Evie corrects as she pulls Mal down the correct hallway to where the purplette’s class will be. “You said to see how much she could handle. I just followed through with what was asked. Plus, she deserved me grilling her for dismissing me like an idiot over her stupid question. And like I said, we’re not idiots so there is no need for her to treat us like that.”

Mal shakes her head as she stops outside her classroom.

“Remind me not to ever get on your bad side,” Mal mentions. “You can be a bitch.”

Evie rolls her eyes playfully before shoving the girl lightly towards the door.

“I’ll see you later, asshole,” Evie snickers. “It’s too late for that to happen, anyway Mal. You’ve already been on the receiving end of my wicked side too many times to count.”

The laugh that follows as Evie leaves warms her belly and the bluenette does everything she can to try to trick her brain into believing it’s the magic within her. She doesn’t succeed, knowing that the partial-fae has always had a hold on her like no other. Luckily, she doesn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it because she’s reached her chemistry class.

***********

Evie observes the classroom as she walks in the teacher grunts in acknowledgment and signals for her to take a seat. Evie rolls her eyes knowing she won’t be liking him and takes her time to glance around the room. There’s a total of eight lab table and each one can be filled by four students. The four in the back are already full and the only four spots Evie sees available are at the two left-sided tables: two at the table at the front of the class and two empty seats at the table behind it.

Doug sits at the upfront most table, across from him sits a sandy haired blond with a dashing smile. Evie can tell he’s a tool right away and that he’s vain from the way he’s checking himself out against the reflection of the Bunsen burner. Evie wants to groan because there’s one of the empty seats next to Doug and while he may be the only person she knows, she’s not sure she can spend an hour and a half sitting next to him.

She could always sit at the table behind Doug where there are two more empty chairs. The other two being occupied by the blond from the top of the stairs and the red haired male from breakfast. As she debates her options, the blonde girl who Evie had briefly met enters the classroom and shoots Evie a smile of acknowledgement. Evie’s eyes trail her as she takes a seat across the red head and next to the empty chair.

The warning bell rings and Evie can feel the teacher’s gaze on her back. Hurriedly, she comes to take a seat next to Doug because fuck if she was going to sit next to her blonde savior that for some reason crawled under Evie’s skin.

“Hi,” Doug greets, as he pulls out her stool.

Evie smiles at the gesture and chooses to look towards the sandy blond in front of him. Murmuring a “hi” back to the boy who pouts at the lack of interaction.

“How’s your first day been?” Doug questions, pulling out his notebook.

“Its second period, Doug,” Evie points out. “Not much has happened so it’s been ‘eh’.”

Doug blushes because he should have known nothing really had happened. “How was Remedial Goodness?”

“Boring,” Evie answers earnestly, watching the blond in front of her. Forcing herself to relax, Evie lightens her tone and does her best to mimic someone enamored. “What can you tell me about him? Is there any chance he’s in line for a throne?”

Her hand gestures towards the sandy blond’s direction and Evie has to force herself to sound airy as he checks himself out with various smug looks. She can hear the teacher begin his lesson and the sandy blond continues to check himself out, not paying attention to any of the safety hazards of the lab. Evie groans internally because she’s sure this boy is dumber than Harry Hook or Gil Gaston back on the Isle. But it’s what she needs, he’s handsome anyone can attest to that and he’d be easy enough to manipulate with a few compliments. It’d be better if he could hold a conversation with her, but for now she’ll start with what she’s got. The blond proceeds to make what Evie hopes are goofy faces yet, can’t help but know that they’re meant for the bedroom to impress someone as she continues her original train of thought, but with a much more forced tone.

“Anywhere in line.”

Doug frowns, but answers anyway knowing he’s lost Evie’s attention for the moment. With a sigh, he explains, “Chad. Prince Charming Jr. Cinderella’s son.”

Evie gasps slightly, she could put up with a vain prince if it meant he had many riches. And Cinderella’s son was definitely among the wealthy families. Doug forces a smile as he glimpses down to where Evie is holding his arm. He slowly looks up stalling at her lips, and Evie rolls her eyes at the gesture because seriously?

“He inherited the charm, but not a lot of there, there. Know what I mean?”

Yes, she knew exactly what Doug meant. It takes all Evie has not to gag as she answers in her ‘dreamy’ tone while Chad looks up to follow a fly.

“Looks like there, there to me.”

But the faraway look she’s slipped on, quickly falls off her face as her teacher comes into view.

“Evelyn,” the tone is sharp, something Evie doesn’t appreciate. “Perhaps this just review for you. So tell me, what is the average atomic weight of silver?”

Evie actually knows the atomic weight of most elements and she knows the calculations needed to find them. However, silver was never one she bothered to memorize because it was either rarely needed for her mother’s potions or too complicated to attain. She learned how to substitute early. Yet, Chad’s looking at her with a mixture of curiosity. This is the moment to prove to him that she can hold his interest. So does she play smart or does she dumb herself down?

“Atomic weight?” Evie chuckles nervously. “Well, not very much, I mean it’s an atom right?”

She chose dumbing herself down and it’s worth it because Chad is laughing with her. Mother would be proud, but she’s also disappointed with herself because this was her chance to change her routine. Her teacher isn’t very amused either and gestures her forward.

Why is she flustered all of a sudden? Evie knows chemistry, she understands the most basic and complex components, so why is she so scared of being judged? Against, her better judgement, Evie grabs her magic mirror—she’s just using it to be sure, she can solve this in her sleep… it’s just her insurance policy.

“Let’s see,” Evie mentions pausing for a moment as she takes the chalk from her teacher’s hand. She looks around the room and her eyes meet with azure ones before falling on the periodic table in the back. She can do this by herself, she’s sure, but Chad is looking at her…and so is Doug, and the teacher, and the blonde, and everyone else in the class. Maybe she can’t do this—it’s better to be safe than sorry. “How do I find the average atomic weight of silver?”

The mirror warms in her hand, and Evie turns toward the board. Her left arm hides the magical artifact from her teacher’s sight and her body shields it from the students behind her. Her eyes glimmer as she sees the number appear and she enunciates as she writes. She’s careful to try and sound as natural as possible as she writes down the last number. She goes through the calculation in her head, mentally revising it and finding that yes, she could have done it on her own.

“…which Mr. Deley,” Evie answers reading off her answer, “would give us, one-o-seven point nine amu.”

She smiles all teeth at him and he clears his throat.

“Well, I forget,” Mr. Deley pauses. “It was a mistake to underestimate—”

“A villain?” Evie interrupts and she can feel the majority of the class take a collective breath. Tossing him the chalk, Evie adds: “Don’t make it again.”

As she turns to walk back to her seat, Chad hands her a note. Evie smirks to herself, she still had her game despite Audrey’s words of the previous day. Taking a seat, she reads the note and plasters on a smile to show off to Chad while she nods. For some reason she feels that it’s going to be a long day and she’s not even halfway done with it.

**********

The rest of her chemistry class goes by uneventful, Evie tunes out Mr. Deley’s lecture knowing she can read the textbook if she truly doesn’t understand anything. Doug tries to speak to her a few times, but mostly focuses on the class when he realizes the girl brushes him off. Instead, Evie chooses to run through all the possibilities on how they could break the barrier around Fairy Godmother’s wand. She thinks that if somehow Mal, Jay, and maybe herself could conduct their magic they could break the barrier. That wouldn’t eliminate the siren sounding and warning the rest of Auradon that they were there, but it could work. However, that would involve revealing to Mal that she has magic and asking Jay to use his too. Evie’s not too comfortable with that idea because her magic is something she has yet to explore. It’s an unknown factor in an experiment, and unknown factors always have a way of blowing up.

So lost in her thoughts, Evie doesn’t notice the bell ring until Doug is waving his hand in her face.

“Are you ready for your next class?” Doug asks, waiting for the blue haired girl.

Blinking, Evie grabs her notebook and slips into her bag. She stands, turning towards the boy an answer formulating in her head. “Umm, I actually have a study hall right now.”

Doug’s face falls in disappointment and a small “oh” leaves his lips. “I guess, I’ll see you later then. I have math and Ms. McCarty doesn’t like tardiness. I can walk you over to the study hall if you’d like?”

She doesn’t. It’s on the tip of her tongue and Evie opens her mouth to answer, but is interrupted by the same blonde from yesterday.

“I can show her, Doug. I have a study hall too. That way you don’t have to worry about being late.”

His shoulders slouch at the blonde’s intervention, but the tone she used makes it clear that he’s been dismissed. Evie turns to face the alluring blonde and the girl shoots her a small smirk. Slowly, Doug leaves the emptying classroom shooting Evie one last dejected look over his shoulder.

“I could have handled that,” Evie mentions crossing her arms, her eyes trained on Doug’s retreating form.

“Yes, you could have,” the blonde banters. “But he wouldn’t have taken the hint and you would have broken his heart if you told him you didn’t want to walk with him. Don’t seem so surprised you ignored him practically all of the class.”

Evie wants to retort, but falls empty because she knows the blonde is right.

“Can I help you with anything?” Evie sneers heading towards the door.

“Seeing as how I’m walking you to the study hall, no,” the blonde snickers, knowing she’s getting under the villain’s skin. She follows making sure to keep enough of space between them while staying in step with the other girl’s pace. “My name is Andrea by the way and you are?”

Evie rolls her eyes. “Now, who isn’t taking the hint?”

Andrea just chuckles, she comes closer enough for their arms to brush briefly and for a second they both feel a bolt of something run through them. Andrea notices Evie’s stiff posture that disappears in a second and notes it to ponder on later. “You’re feisty aren’t you? Evelyn was it? That’s a pretty name.”

“It’s Evie,” Evie huffs, her mind trying to wrap around the fact that it felt like electricity traveled through her. Was it her magic? Sure, Evie had felt it as soon as she had crossed the barrier and it seemed to spike near magical artifacts or wielders of magic. Yet, she hadn’t felt such a strong reaction from it with anyone—not even Mal. “Just Evie.”

“Okay, Evie, how’s the ankle?” Andrea asks. Her azure eyes flickering down to see that the blue haired girl is leaning more weight on it than the previous day.

“Why do you care?” Evie hisses, she’s confused. No one cares—ever, sure her friends worry, but no one else ever does; especially not a stranger. “Seriously, why do you care?”

Andrea blinks at the pure irritation in the girl’s tone. She expected the villain to be touchy, but not so insecure and angry about other people offering help.

“Cause it sounded like you were in pain,” the answer is simple and honest. “I’ve had my fair share of injuries revolving around my ankle.”

“It’s fine, _Princess_ ,” Evie says, and the venom behind the title is fully noted. “You can stop caring now.”

“You really aren’t used to attention from other people are you?” Andrea comments, as they approach the study hall. “I know it must be a shock, but my mother actually taught me manners and to not judge based off where people are from. So, you could be from the Olympus or you could be from the Isle and I would treat you the same as anyone else because we all deserve respect.”

“And where are you from?” Evie jeers, although her tone is less aggressive and more curious.

Most people would have run by now, gotten up and left. Evie isn’t stupid and on the Isle certain situations called for a harder, edgier approach. Evie wasn’t known to be the heart breaker because she cared, when needed Evie was the biggest bitch possible. Andrea seems to take the shorter girl’s hostility as if it was nothing, the blonde allows for it to roll of her shoulders effortlessly. In retrospect, Evie is kind of jealous. She wishes she could brush people’s thoughts and opinions off her back with that much ease.

“Isn’t obvious?” Andrea laughs gesturing to herself. Her hair is a platinum blonde, her eyes are azure, and she’s dressed in a pale blue blouse with white pants. Evie wonders if the girl isn’t cold without any sweater or jacket, because she herself feels a light draft. As Andrea waits for Evie to reach the conclusion that most people do, she takes a seat at an empty table.

It takes less than two minutes before Evie’s eyes widen in acknowledgement.

“Arendelle,” Evie exclaims quietly and she wants to hit herself on the head for being so oblivious, that’s why her magic reacted. It wouldn’t surprise her if Andrea possessed magic seeing as how her mother bent ice and water to her will. “You’re Queen Elsa’s daughter.”

“Bingo,” Andrea confirms, her eyes taking into account the light in Evie’s brown eyes. “Mother is quite adamant about treating others the way you wish to be treated. She made sure to teach Anthony and me the importance of not judging anyone by their pasts or roots.”

“Sounds very Auradonian, very high horse if you ask me” Evie mentions pulling out a book and taking a seat across the blonde. “Anthony?”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not from Auradon then or consider myself of highly royal status despite what my future will dictate,” Andrea comments, laughing lightly. “He’s my older twin brother, the blond sitting at my lab table.”

Recognition sets in Evie’s eyes, that’s why the blond boy resembled her so much. It would also explain the cooling presence she felt in the chemistry classroom.

“So I wasn’t wrong by calling you, Princess, then?” Evie points out.

Andrea shakes her head and pulls out her own book. “No, although here our titles are used solely in diplomacy class. In fact, the only person here who holds ‘power’ is Ben. Anthony prefers it that way as do Elliot and Merrick—it takes pressure off their shoulders. Not that Anthony has a tremendous on his shoulders with the exception of being captain of the soccer team.”

Evie blinks her brows furrowing in confusion at the onslaught of information and names. Andrea smiles apologetically recalling that it was Evie’s first day as a student therefore she probably didn’t know many people.

“I apologize how rude of me to assume that you know who I’m talking about,” Andrea explains. “The red head in our chemistry class is Merrick, Queen Merida’s son from the Dunbroch Kingdom. Elliot, is my cousin, although he’s a year younger than us; if you’ve met Jane, Fairy Godmother’s daughter they’re in the same year.”

“You must know everyone,” Evie comments, her mind shifting gears to how the blonde could prove to be useful to her.

“Not everyone, but most people yes,” Andrea answers. “I at least know all the upcoming rulers of the different states of Auradon.”

At this piece of information Evie raises her eyebrow, her interest piqued.

“What do you mean?” Evie questions. “I’ve read a little bit about Auradon’s political structure, but the Isle wasn’t big on teaching us about here. And there’s only so much I can read in a day.”

“Well, Auradon is made up of serval states, thus the United States of Auradon. Most students who attend Auradon Prep are from the unified states, only a handful of us are not. Anthony, Elliot, and I are from Arendelle which is aligned to the crown, but does not bow down to King Adam nor Auradon. Mother thought it best to not join the republic due to conflict of interests such as the Isle, however, trade exists between the two nations and for now there is peace. Arendelle is one of four countries that is not held under Auradonian law; Agrabah is not either, therefore Aziz and Jari—Sultan Aladdin and Sultana Jasmine’s son and daughter are exchange students of sorts. Dunbroch and Atlantis also chose to form alliances with Auradon that are separate from the republic; so Merrick and the twins Kita and Mila are foreigners too.”

Evie files away the information, was everyone living Auradon this comfortable revealing information? Was there no sense of self-preservation?

“You mentioned something about future leaders. I thought Prince Ben would take over all the republic’s states. I assume Anthony, Merrick, and the others would take over eventually from the aligned states.”

“You like politics don’t you?” Andrea laughs as she sets down her book. “Yes, Prince Ben will become ruler of entirety of Auradon, however, each state has its own ruler that reports to the higher crown. Except in the case of Arendelle, Agrabah, Atlantis, and Dunbroch. Merrick, Aziz, both Kita and Mila, and I will eventually take over from our parents when the moment is right. As for the states in Auradon, you should come to Diplomatic Law to understand it better. I could sign you up for the class, it would be an elective since you aren’t required to take it or at least come visit it.”

Evie mulls the idea over, another class wouldn’t be the most fun, but a class that explains the division of power and the function of law would be extremely useful. Plus, Andrea said that she would take over Arendelle eventually. Having a future ruler as an ally in Auradon where people didn’t trust the Isle children would be a very powerful relationship. Especially if that ally held the same power as Prince Ben in theory.

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow, following last period, you could sit in for the class and then decide from then on.”

Evie nods to herself, already coming up with how she could use the information Andrea had just shared with her. The Isle girl contemplates asking more questions, but she doesn’t want to bother the other girl for fear of alienating her. Right now, she needs as many people to trust her as possible if she wants to pull off the abduction of the wand. Opening her book, Evie lets her eyes come to end of the chapter she was on prior to chemistry. She makes sure to smile at Andrea as a way of saying thanks before delving back into the book explaining the history and difference of principle magic.

**********

“Hey Mal,” Evie greets swinging by her friend’s decorated locker. “Ready for Mannerisms and Chivalry?”

Mal rolls her eyes and looks at Evie. “You’re joking right?”

Evie shrugs because they have twenty minutes before they're expected and lunch was uneventful. Carlos and Jay told them about Tourney and how Jay made the team immediately. Jay also gloats on how Audrey couldn’t keep her eyes off him and Evie rolls her eyes while Mal’s expression is of “as if”. Evie’s comment about Chemistry are less exciting other than she explains Andrea is the daughter of Queen Elsa from Arendelle and her savior from the other day. Anthony is Andrea’s older twin brother, while the dark red head is Merrick—Queen Merida’s son, and the younger looking redhead from the other day is Elliot, Anna and Kristoff’s son. She also fills the boys’ in on how Chad Charming is who she wants to rope in for her Mother. Carlos and Jay groan because Chad is an idiot and vain, they’d met him following their two hours of history. Evie chuckles already knowing this which is why he’d be the perfect one to take. _I’ll scratch his ego and he’ll listen without a problem. I won’t even have to do much, just keep him busy._ The boys eventually relent and Mal just bitches about how she hates Math, but the worst part is that Audrey is her class and is the smartest person there on top of being a teacher’s pet.

“Well at least you won’t be alone,” Evie points out. “We’re in it together, as well as, the boys. They’re grabbing a quick shower so they’ll meet us there.”

From the corner of her eye she sees Ben, Audrey, and Chad exit the school’s hallway towards the locker hall. Evie rolls her eyes and Mal quirks a brow, before glancing behind her.

“Ah,” Mal exhales, smirking at her friend. “You really don’t like her, don’t you?”

Evie glares at the shorter head. “She’s an actual bitch. I think she tops Uma and that’s saying something.”

Mal lets out a hearty laugh. “Better watch your language, Princess. That type of language could land you in detention.”

“You’re an ass,” Evie moans. “Now, we should go, before the golden trio decides that they need to bother us.”

“Or we could listen into their conversation,” Mal points out waving her hand and muttering something Evie can’t make out under her breath.

Suddenly, it’s as if the trio is right next to them; whispering into their ears.

_“Those kids are trouble, Ben. Have you seen the way they dress?”_

“Really?” Mal questions, narrowing her eyes at the taller girl. “This is the prince you want to charm?”

Evie rolls her eyes again—is it possible to injure oneself by performing that action. She’s starting to notice that she does it quite often.

 “He’s Cinderella’s son and he’s dumb—he’ll be under my thumb faster than Gaston Jr. and Gaston the second were,” Evie says watching Mal’s face harden as Audrey opens her mouth.

_“You’re just too trusting, Benny Boo. I know with you, your mom’s big, mean, evil beast turned out to be a prince, but with my mom the evil fairy was just the evil fairy. That girl’s mother.”_

“She’s going to end up in the infirmary, I swear,” Evie continues feeling herself get angry over the Princess’ comment and the way she feels Mal’s aura practically glow.

“Calm down, E,” Mal says, resting her hand on Evie’s forearm. “We’ll get back at her. It’ll happen.”

_“Give them a chance, Chad. I think you’re wrong about them.”_

“He’s going to get crushed as a King,” Evie comments, her eyes glancing down, but not making any effort to move her arm. “People are going to walk all over him.”

“Seriously, whose idea was it to choose a sixteen year old to be a King? He’s a child,” Mal adds on.

They snicker between themselves and Evie can’t help but smile. Yes, Auradon is weird—it’s bright, open, warm, and different. But Mal is still Mal and she is still Evie and no matter where they go the blunette knows that will never change. Lifting her gaze Evie watches as Chad and Audrey walk away while Ben begins to saunter towards them.

“Oh no, Benny-Boo coming in at one-o’clock and he looks determined,” Evie warns, Mal rolls her eyes lightly smacking the taller girl’s arm.

“You should go ahead to class. I’ll catch up,” Mal mentions turning to face the upcoming Prince, behind him she sees Jane storing a couple of things into her locker and the gears start to turn in her head. “I want to see if I can talk to Jane.”

“What’s your plan there?” Evie questions, intrigued to why her friend would seek out the younger girl having witnessed the predatory grin paint itself on the paler girl’s face.

Mal smirks, green-grey eyes meeting chocolate brown. “You’ll see. Now, go and hurry up the boys. We don’t need to stick out more than we already do.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Evie chuckles as she squeezes Mal’s shoulder and salutes to her at the demanding tone. She’s met with a stuck out tongue and Evie radiates warmth at their banter. Although, her smile falls slightly when she glances over her shoulder to see Ben almost leaning into Mal’s personal space.

**********

Evie rereads the note Chad wrote making sure she’s right about the time and location for their meeting despite knowing she is. As she walks towards the bleachers, Evie allows herself to fully take into account Auradon Prep and all its glory. The campus is beautiful and even if it’s too sunny and too open and not strategic at all, Evie finds herself growing fond of it. Would it be this beautiful when the villains took over? Would there be anything left?

A frown begins to dance across her features and Evie shakes her head. She cannot think like that—she’s vile, she’s mean, she’s manipulative, she’s evil. Evelyn Grimhilde is a villain. What benefits her is what matters, nothing else, she had done so many things in the past that there was nothing else she could be but rotten.

Turning to make a left toward the underside of the bleachers, Evie wants to shout. Doug is following her, has been since the end of fourth period. The boy could at least pretend he’s trying to hide from her. Seriously does he not understand incognito, his steps are loud and ungracious; he’d last less than an hour on the Isle. Her hands come into fist and she wills the raging magic within her to settle, despite being tempted to flick her wrist and see what happens to the son of dwarves.

Reaching the meeting point, Evie’s brown eyes land on Chad who’s staring into a mirror grinning at himself. Yes, he’d do nicely for Mother—all vain and self-centered, they already had so much in common.

Evie clears her throat making her presence known and Chad looks up. He shoots her a smile storing his mirror before reaching out a hand towards her own. Tugging his lower lip between his teeth and looking up through sand colored eyelashes he dallies:

“Is everybody at home as pretty as you?” The pickup line is followed by another acted-shy smile and Evie swoons externally. Her brain is working a mile a minute trying to figure out the boy’s angle—he’s too smooth.

Flushed and caught slightly off-guard at the Prince’s swagger, Evie chuckles out her own response: “I like to think I’m the fairest of them all.”

Mother would definitely be proud, except for the fact that she’d probably correct Evie on her phrasing. Chad smiles again and before he can open his mouth Evie continues speaking by asking, “So how many rooms are in your castle?”

Would Mother be getting her Mother-in-law wing or would the Evil Queen have to settle?

Chad blinks, surprised by the question and Evie smirks, taking back control of their conversation. If she can keep the upper hand then this shan’t take long and she’ll be back in her room with Mal. Back in her room, where she’ll keep working on outfits for them while sneaking peaks at the purple haired beauty that is her best friend.

“Too many to count,” Chad laughs, shaking his head as if snapping himself out of a daydream. He takes a moment to look Evie over, working his way through what he wants to ask. “So, you really nailed that chemistry problem today. You’re going to have all the nerds in love with you.”

He tags another smile at the end of his sentence. His attention is solely focused on Evie and the blue haired girl frowns. She cannot have him lose interest in her despite being a lot smarter than she let on inside the class room.

Smoothing out her skirt, Evie shakes her head and makes sure to plaster her innocent and naïve face. Elevating her range of voice, Evie let’s her voice take on a floaty register and stammers through her answer to sell her act.

“Uh, I’m not that smart,” Evie chuckles, tilting her head and beginning to play with a loose strand of blue hair. At Chad’s eye roll, Evie rushes the rest of her thoughts. “No! Really, I’m not. But I’m really good at sewing, and cooking, and cleaning you know like your mother Cinderella without the ratty dress.”

Chad chuckles at the stab at his mother and Evie grimaces internally at the idea of comparing herself to Cinderella and the fact that she’s supposed to be proud of those skills when she could be so much more. Especially, when she knows she could fly higher now more than ever. Her magic itches at her fingertips, begging to come out and play. A particular strong urge awakens when her hand brushes over her purse. Her mirror calling out to her—a spark ignites within the blue-haired princess.

“See this?” Evie taunts pulling out the magic artifact and displaying it proudly. “I ask this mirror something and it tells me it.”

Chad’s face drops in surprise, confused before he grins and reaches out for the mirror not giving Evie a chance to react.

“Are you kidding me?” Chad exclaims, taking the mirror for himself.

“No,” Evie smiles, her left eye twitching slightly.

“Where’s my cellphone?” Chad orders into the mirror and Evie forces herself to laugh instead of punch the blond because did he serious just rip it from her hands?

“It won’t work for you, silly,” Evie says sweetly, her voice betraying nothing. Her hand itches once more, this time begging to close itself around Chad’s throat. She shakes her head— _where did that come from?_

“No biggie,” Chad smiles once more, returning her mirror. “My dad will just get me a new one.”

That re-inspires Evie to continue her original thought process. Her magic simmers with the mirror back in her possession. Auradon is messing with her head and her gut is twisting; Chad just rubs her the wrong way.

“Prince Charming?” Evie says, breathily leaning closer to him.

“Yeah?” Chad chuckles coming closer.

“And Cinderella?” Evie continues bringing a hand up to land on his chest.

“Yeah,” Chad echoes, placing his hand on top of Evie’s.

Evie wants to squeal, a little bit further and she was close enough to land a kiss. If she pouts and adds a bit of swagger to her hips then Chad should be hers by the end of the night. And hey, she’s not known as the smoothest talker on the Isle for not trying. She might as well try to help Mal while she’s at it; she would always do whatever she could for the purple haired fae.

“Fairy Godmother,” Evie whispers, watching a confused glance take over Chad’s face. She’s sure if she doesn’t wrap it up, she’ll lose Chad’s interest. “Hey, I heard her wand is in some boring old museum. Do they always leave it there?”

Chad hesitates for a second, grinning as Evie leans in closer. He watches her close her eyes, his breath mingles with her own. Yet, he pulls away and with an exaggerated sigh, answers.

“I’d really like to stay and talk but ugh.”

Evie’s eyes snap open and ire builds in her—this boy is too much. He’s too arrogant and too much of a child—clearly, as he slams his fist into the bleacher. At least Mal’s temper and outbursts are cute. Her attention tunes back in as Chad finishes his sentence:

“I’m just swamped… Unless.”

“Unless?” Evie questions, not sure she wants to know, but knowing Mother would want her perfect son in law. And, hey, maybe she could convince Mother that Mal and her are worth it that is of course if Evie ever ventures out and tells Mal what she feels. Those feelings that she has promised herself to keep under lock and key.

“You knock out all my homework along with yours,” Chad mentions and Evie gapes—is this boy for real? She’s ready to slap him for being such a prick when he speaks up again. “Maybe we could get together sometime? _Hang?_ ”

 _No!_ Evie thinks. She’s meant for better. She’s meant to be greater. Her magic burns inside of her. Asking to be let out and used, tested against Chad. But if she lands Chad, she pleases her Mother. She achieves the dream and those nights of hunger and beatings and self-loathing would have been for something.

“Okay,” Evie answers, and her heart clenches.

“Thanks babe,” Chad replies, bag being shoved in her direction. He takes off and Evie’s fake grin falls off her face.

Evie begins to pace, lowering the khaki colored bag. It would be worth it all in the end when Villains achieved their revenge. There’s a clamor from the bleachers, Evie rolls her eyes. Doug is growing on her nerves and she’s known the boy for less than two days.

“I couldn’t help, but overhear—” Doug speaks, sitting down in the bleachers. He’s not finished speaking when Evie interrupts, not hiding her annoyance.

“Are you stalking me?” Evie scoffs, she’s frustrated. Chad was supposed to kiss her, not hand her his work. Doug is slowly becoming the perfect option for target practice, if he doesn’t chose his words wisely.

Slipping through the metal seats, he lands with surprising grace in front of the older girl. Pushing his glasses up, he says:

“Technically yes.”

Evie gasps quietly, that’s reason enough to punch him. Her fist clenches, but doesn’t leave her side. She can’t ruin the façade needed for them to steal the wand. She’s glad she stopped because Doug keeps speaking.

 “I too have a fascination with Fairy Godmother’s wand. Which is another reason I look forward to the coronation.”

Evie lowers her hand and reels in her temper, things just got interesting.

“Perhaps we could sit next to each other and discuss its attributes?”

Evie paints another smile on her face and steps closer to the blond.

“Are you saying it’s used in the coronation?” Evie purrs, leaning further in. She towers over him and her teeth shine predatorily.

“Yes,” Doug whimpers, taking a breath. “…and asking you out…”

Evie chuckles and drags her hand across his face. Poor, boy—he’s a goner and Evie hasn’t even tried. She pivots and walks away mind scheming with everything that has just been said. One thought prevalent on her mind.

Things just became oh so much simpler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, but school is difficult. I hope you enjoy this and I look forward to hearing thoughts and opinions. Things are bound to be more interesting from now on. Any questions, feel free to ask.


	4. In My Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises are never something to be appreciated. Surprises almost always end in mistrust. Surprises cause panic and anger. Evie hates surprises, possibly more than she hates food.

_Three Months Prior to Ben’s Coronation_

Time seems to move unimaginably slow for Evie as she lies on top of her bed. She’s alone at the moment and she could not be more grateful for it. Her head hurts. She feels a migraine forming behind closed eyelids and her temples pound. Her magic doing nothing to alleviate the pain. The bed is still too soft beneath her, but the floor seems unappealing. Evie groans as her stomach growls and she feels the prickle of tears forming.

_You’re not thin enough. Stop eating. A lady does not show her appetite. No Prince will ever deem you beautiful if they see you stuff your face, Evie._

The voice in her head seems to be particularly rowdy today. Evie lets out a mirthless chuckle, day two in Auradon and she’s already skipping out on lunch. Mother would definitely be proud. Mal, Jay, and Carlos probably not so much…

In a way Evie is lucky, she does not share the same exact schedule as her friends. Mal is currently in her Literature Class while Carlos is in Chemistry and Jay is in Math. She shared Advanced Calculus with Carlos earlier in the morning, but they split ways when he went off to Chemistry and Evie to her free period or lunch block. The blunette casts a quick peek at the clock on her nightstand and sighs. She has thirty minutes before she needs to make her way towards Literature. Glancing over to her desk she frowns as she takes into account their schedules, Evie had taken it upon herself to jot down everyone’s schedule to have more peace of mind.

**Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Schedule**  
  
---  
  
Student

| 

Elective

(1h)

| 

1st

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

2nd

(2h)

| 

3rd

(1h30)

| 

4th

(2h)

| 

5th

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

Elective

(1h or 1h30*)  
  
Carlos

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

History

| 

Gym

| 

Free

| 

Mannerisms

& Chivalry

| 

Literature*

| 

Free  
  
Evie

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Chemistry*

| 

History

| 

Free

| 

Mannerisms

& Chivalry

| 

Moral & Ethics

| 

Free  
  
Jay

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

History

| 

Gym

| 

Free

| 

Mannerisms

& Chivalry

| 

Literature*

| 

Free  
  
Mal

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Math

| 

History

| 

Free

| 

Mannerisms

& Chivalry

| 

Language & Interpretation

| 

Free  
  
 

**Tuesday and Thursday Schedule**  
  
---  
  
Student

| 

Elective

(1h)

| 

1st

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

2nd

(2h)

| 

3rd

(1h30)

| 

4th

(2h)

| 

5th

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

Elective

(1h or 1h30*)  
  
Carlos

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Advanced Calculus

| 

Morals & Ethics

| 

Free

| 

Language & Interpretation

| 

Chemistry*

| 

Free  
  
Evie

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Advanced Calculus

| 

Free

| 

Literature

| 

Gym

| 

Language & Interpretation

| 

Free  
  
Jay

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Chemistry*

| 

Math

| 

Free

| 

Moral & Ethics

| 

Language & Interpretation

| 

Free  
  
Mal

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Chemistry*

| 

Moral & Ethics

| 

Free

| 

Gym

| 

Literature*

| 

Free  
  
She had Gym with Mal following Literature and then Language & Interpretation; her stomach growls again. Evie sighs rubbing her temples once again. She’s hungry—day two and it is pathetic how her body craves food despite knowing that the moment it would be consumed she would want to push it back out.

Food, it makes Evie’s head hurt and stomach nauseous. It’s been her mortal enemy since day one—Mother made sure of it. Eat too much and no one will want you. Don’t eat at all and you’ll wither away. Don’t stuff your face it makes you unappealing. Don’t pick at your food it makes you seem like a snob. Don’t eat without looking, know what is going into your body. Don’t calorie count either because that’s almost worse. If you eat and you gain weight then you stop or force it out.

Evie shakes her head—she can’t think like that. She needs to be in the present, she needs to be able to function. She cannot allow herself to sink to that point in her life again. Granted it was easier to avoid food and not think about becoming anything but slim on the Isle where food was scarce. Where Evie gave up her good food to her friends—to Jay, he needed it for strength; to Carlos, he would fade into dust; to Mal, Evie would give anything to Mal. But here? Food is everywhere. It’s a plague and it haunts Evie’s thoughts. Two days, that is how long they have been in Auradon. Two days and Evie already feels the anxiety building up in her chest when someone mentions eating. Two days, and Evie sweats when her friends walk her to the dining hall. Two days, and Evie’s brain works a mile a minute to keep track of how long she will remain the weight and measures she currently is. Two days. She wonders how long it will take her friends to catch on to her issues.

Another glance at the clock and Evie stands. She sways slightly on her feet not prepared for the rush of blood at the change in position. Steadily she walks towards the mirror and ruffles her hair. She needs the perfect mixture of rebel, but not dirty. Satisfied, she pulls at her leather skirt and fingers the strategically placed holes of her shirt. A grin paints a way onto her face as she looks over herself once more, making sure to commit to memory the strokes of paint emblazed on her top _#rottenapples_. She has fifteen minutes before Literature begins, if she hurries she may be able to sneak a cup of coffee before class. That will keep her going for the rest of the day.

*******

“Are you stalking me?” Andrea questions, seeing Evie take the seat to her left.

The blunette rolls her eyes and drops her bag onto the shared table.

“You wish, Arendelle,” Evie quips, as she glides into the seat.

Andrea chuckles and quirks an eyebrow, “Arendelle?”

“Ice felt too overused,” Evie answers, her gaze focused on the chalkboard once she’s finished pulling out her notebook.

“And Arendelle isn’t?” Andrea chuckles once again.

“Would you rather I call you Ice, then?” Evie bites, glancing through her peripheral vision towards the taller blonde.

Andrea just laughs and shakes her head.

“Arendelle works,” Andrea says, lifting her hands up in surrender. “You need a nickname too, then.”

“Ugh, no,” Evie groans, her eyes following the teacher’s handwriting on the board.

“Too late!” Andrea mentions. “If you’re calling me Arendelle, then I’m going to—”

“If you say Isle, I will hurt you,” Evie interrupts, making sure to turn towards the paler skinned student shooting her a glare. “No joke. I will hurt you.”

“Isle would feel like a stab at my intelligence,” Andrea scoffs. “But understood…”

“Good,” Evie states, her attention back towards her teacher. “Wipe that smile off your face, Arendelle. There’s no need to be smug.”

Andrea’s grin only widens as she turns to pay attention to the lecture.

********

            Evie’s not sure what to make of her Literature class. It’s slightly dull in her opinion, perhaps when the class will entertain the idea of debate and discussion then the class won’t be a complete waste of time. The bell rings and as quickly as Evie can she’s up from her seat and making her way towards the locker rooms. She told Mal that they’d meet up at the Gym and it may be a little bit pathetic, but Evie hasn’t seen Mal since eight thirty that morning, following Remedial Goodness, and with the thoughts that weighed down on her all morning, Mal is the fix she needs.

            Rounding the corner to the locker rooms, Evie slows her stride as she sees purple enter her field of vision. Mal is leaning against the lockers across the hall from the locker rooms her focus lost in the spell book in her hands. Her bag is lying at her feet and there’s a small crease on forehead as her lips are pursed in concentration. Evie is sure she has yet to see something as beautiful as her best friend and the blunette’s heart begins to hammer. A warmth feel encompasses her and Evie grins as her magic thrums in rhythm to her heartbeat as she approaches the younger girl.

            “Hey there stranger,” Evie greets, eyes lit with mirth and a dazzling smile on her lips. “If you stare harder you might burn a hole through the book.”

Mal’s eyes snap up at the voice of her best friend. Grey-green make eye contact with red-brown and for a moment both girls are lost in each other’s stares.

“Hey E,” Mal answers, closing the book and slipping it into her bag. “How was Literature?”

“Boring,” Evie answers, waving her hand.

“Definitely agree there,” Mal concedes, pushing herself off the locker. “Ready for gym?”

“Ew, no,” Evie replies, wrinkling her nose up in disgust. It’s not that Evie hates exercising, it’s just that gym class seems terrible especially if they’re going to play tourney.

“I feel you,” Mal chuckles opening the door to the locker room for Evie before following her inside.

The locker room is basically empty, most of the girls already outside on the field stretching. There’s only a couple of girls in the locker room—one a girl Mal recognizes as Mila one of Kida and Milo’s twin daughters from her Literature class and the other being Skyla the daughter of Astrid and Hiccup in Evie’s advanced calculus class. Neither of the Isle girls pay them any mind as they search for their own lockers. They find them in the last row and simultaneous they both sigh for being out of sight of the majority of the other lockers.

“So we do have uniforms,” Mal exhales, opening her locker and pulling out a pair of blue shorts and pale yellow shirt with the school’s crest of the left breast pocket.

Evie’s nose crinkles at the outfit, that yellow will not look good with her blue curls.

“The fashionista in me is dying,” Evie retorts, her hands running over her own outfit.

“At least the standard sneakers are white,” Mal chuckles. “You’ll live Princess.”

“Shut up, jerk,” Evie says, bumping her hips against the shorter girl’s. “We should hurry.”

“Eager are you?” Mal questions, pulling her shirt over her head.

Evie really does her best to not stare at her friend’s exposed torso. And she’ll take it to her grave the way her tongue comes to swipe at her lower lip. Mal’s figure is slim and while it veers towards unhealthy, she’s still beautiful in Evie’s eyes. Pale skin that glistens in LED lights of the locker room, brown orbs trace the splatter of freckles and the faded scars.

It is not the first time Evie finds herself lost in her friend’s body. She was the resident nurse of the four in all honesty and more times than she would like to count Evie’s had to heal a mangled Jay, aid a bruised Mal, and fix a distraught Carlos. She’s sure that she could recreate Mal’s body in her sleep at this point in her life, but it would never compare to the actual entity that was the fae’s form.

“E?” Mal calls out as she slips into her gym shorts. “You okay?”

Evie shakes her head and offers a tightlipped smile in return. Quickly, the blue haired girl slides out of her skirt and into her own shorts. She’s quick to change her shirts, glad the bra she wears doubles as a sports bra.

“Sorry,” Evie answers bending down to tie her shoes. “Lost in thought.”

“I like you here on earth,” Mal chuckles, drawing her hair into a ponytail. “The sky can wait.”

“Charming,” Evie laughs, storing her things into the locker in hopes of hiding her blush. “Let’s go, Romeo.”

They shoot each other one more smile and turn to make their way onto the tourney field. Evie’s sure that the butterflies in her stomach are a mixture of Mal being Mal and the thrill of magic coursing through her.

 

“Listen up ladies,” the Coach of the class calls garnering up the females in the class’s attention. The boys are already running drills with the Head Coach. “For you who are new my name is Coach Nakoma. I’m Auradon Prep’s Varsity Female Soccer Coach, as well as, one of the head Coaches for the Physical Education program. To warm up, I want three laps around the field. Then Andrea and Skyla will lead you through stretches before we split up for some different agility drills. Now go.”

Mal shakes her head as she sees the Coach clap her hands together dismissing the huddle that had gathered around her.

“Running, yay,” Mal mocks an excited cheer, watching the class begin to lap around. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say that the taller blonde leading the mob of girls is Andrea from Arendelle, meaning the other girl is Skyla.”

Evie nods, dreading the aspect of running. She hated running. Running meant someone was chasing her, running meant she needed to not be caught, running meant a scheme gone horribly wrong. Running was not something Evie ever enjoyed. At the tense posture of the blunette, Mal frowns. It takes a moment for her to understand the fear hidden in deep brown irises.

“E,” Mal whispers, grabbing onto Evie’s hand and running smooth circles around her palm. “I’m right here. It’s us against the world, together.”

Evie hears Mal speaking to her and it takes a moment for her brain to catch up with what the smaller girl is saying, but it beckons her back into reality. She shudders out a deep breath and smiles at Mal, feeling her magic hum to life in sense of self-preservation.

“Always us against the world, rotten together forever,” Evie grins, glancing to the group that has barely begun to run. “Race you?”

Mal’s laughter is all that greets the older teen’s ears as the pair take-off after the group.

 

Running is still stressful, but the laps pass quickly and it helps that Mal is right by her side throughout it all. They keep a good pace, lingering behind the group of twenty or so girls in their class. Their eyes take into account all that happens around them and to be honest they don’t even break a sweat at the end of the three loops. In fact, only about a third of the group is not exhaling loudly or trying to catch their breath at the end of the warm-up.

“Ladies,” Skyla calls out and her green-eyes sparkling like her father’s and her dirty blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail sways. She’s a replica of her mother, mostly but her voice is silky like her father’s. “Three rows. Let’s go.”

“She seems bossy,” Mal comments, lining up next to Evie at the last row to the right.

Evie snorts at the observation. She does a quick glance over and assures herself no one is missing or out of her line of sight.

“Understatement,” Evie answers, as they bend forward stretching their hamstrings. “She’s in Advanced Calculus with me. She’s assertive as fuck.”

            “How is it that you manage to trick half the campus into thinking you’re dumb as hell, yet still manage to get placed into Advanced Calculus,” Mal implores turning to look at Evie, eyes bright with awe and curiosity.

Evie bites her lip at the compliment and shrugs her shoulder. Shifting her weight towards her left leg copying the movement Andrea is currently doing.

“Talent? I’m that good?” Evie guesses. “Think we’ll be able to outshine anyone in the agility drills? They can’t be that hard right?”

Mal hums to herself as she stands and looks over the field. She can see Coach Nakoma and the assistant couch set up the field. There seems to be rope ladders, cones, soccer balls, and obstacles—if Mal can trick herself into believing that the ladders are high beams from the Isle, cones are broken stairs and tiles that will give way under her feet, the soccer balls the treasures she needs to keep away from others, and the obstacles as crates or enemies than yes, they can outshine everyone on the field.

Evie watches from the corner of her eye as Mal assesses her surroundings. She can see the gears turning in the smaller girl’s head and she’s grateful for reading Mal like the back of her hand. They share a quick look and Evie knows without speaking a word what Mal is thinking. So they saunter over towards the two lines being sorted by the Coach. Skyla leading one and Andrea the other, teams of sorts the idea is to run through the course two times before turning into a competition. The losing team will be stuck running another two laps at the end of the class giving access to the winning team to shower. Mal and Evie end up separated when it comes to determining the teams—Andrea grins towards Evie and pouts only slightly when Skyla calls her onto her own team, but it’s okay because Andrea watched how Mal moved over the course the first time and the purple haired fae is agile in her own form.

Evie frowns when she sees Mal walk towards Andrea’s group where the taller blonde is sorting them into the lines for relay. Her attention is flickered over to Skyla who is sorting her own team.

“Evie,” Skyla mentions, catching the other girl’s attention. “You’ll be the last one to run. You’re quick and smart on your feet, so it will be up to you to make up for any of the girls who may slip up.”

Evie nods and glances over at her team. She can already tell that three of them will trip and waste minutes of agility. Two of the girls are slower than turtles, but the rest of the team is decent with the exception of Skyla, Mila, and herself. Andrea’s team is much the same Mal, Andrea, and two other girls are the strength. So all in all they are pretty evenly matched and Evie grins at the challenge and promise of a warm shower. Plus, if she can beat Mal then Evie may or may not enjoy holding it over the other girl’s head.

Evie’s team ends up winning. Andrea and Skyla having gone head to head with the platinum blonde passing on the relay stick to her team member a couple of seconds before Skyla. With Mila six runners after Skyla they had regained the upper hand and Evie let out a relieved sigh. It comes down to Evie and Mal during the last relay with Mal ahead of the blue haired girl for the first half of the course. Yet, Evie never loses sight of the end goal and while Mal is powerful and graceful, Evie is suave and quick. With a speed that rivaled Andrea’s sprint, Evie’s feet grace the grass of the field; she treats the course like a dance with a tempo that keeps augmenting. Her calves pulse as she pushes herself further than Mal and while Mal hazes over the course her feet fumble in the beginning with the soccer ball and Evie takes the loss of steam as her own engine. The blue haired girl laughs as Mal frowns trying to shave off seconds for the misstep, but by then Evie’s own feet have engaged in a tango with her own soccer ball. A dexterity comes to life when Evie glides the ball through the remaining cones and she’s jumping over boxes picturing running from roof to roof, sliding under low bars imaging how she glides away from street benders into the sewers, and finally flipping over the muddy field remembering her flips against walls trying to avoid being hit.

Landing from a summersault, Evie hands over the glowing relay stick to Skyla basking in the feeling of winning. She turns just in time to see Mal complete her own relay with a one handed handspring and smiles knowing she won.

Mal sulks when Evie passes her on her way to the locker room, catching the older girl’s hand she grumbles: “Showoff Princess,”

“You ended with a one-handed handspring, M. I’m not sure I’m the one showing off,” Evie taunts, and runs her hand through Mal’s now loose hair. “It’s not my fault you trip over your own feet. If you had taken dancing seriously with me then we both know you would have beaten me. Now, I believe a warm shower awaits me.”

Mal shoots Evie a glare and the blue haired girl chuckles once more before blowing the younger girl a kiss. Mal’s smile makes it worth Evie’s bold move and the magic inside of her surges at the feeling of pure joy radiating in her chest.

 

It’s a quick shower, one where Evie is in an out before most of the girls are done shampooing their hair. It’s not clear if Evie does it because she is afraid of being attacked when she’s vulnerable or if it’s because showering in the locker room means she’s exposed to her fellow students. It means that her bare body is viewable to anyone’s gaze and while Evie sells her body well that does not mean she loves it by any means. Mother’s voice would echo endlessly if she caught any girl looking at her with disgust.

And they would, Evie is sure they would. Evie’s tan skin is littered in souvenirs of abuse, but most memories are hidden behind masks because they are so deeply rooted in Evie’s subconscious—in her psyche that they cannot be seen by the naked-eye. The few that Evie sports like brands come from her scuffles on the Isle when she was unsure of what a knife’s true purpose was. When she was learning that it would be the life leaving her eyes if she didn’t grasp the reality of what it meant to wield a sword or crowbar. She has a small nick that one would have to know about under her chin left by a discolored hook when she was ten. A scarred left ankle from the time the gang caught themselves outnumbered and blind running through new terrain, where a meek whine had left Evie’s lips as her ankle drenched itself in blood around barbed wire. Her hands are gloveless leaving the bleached burns of acid her knuckles became used to out in the open. Her chest bares the only actually prominent scar of her naïve days thinking Mother would never harm her—a moon shaped white line beginning at the bottom of her collarbone tracing down the valley of her breasts and ending above her belly button. So Evie is positive the girls would look at her in disgust because that is how she sees herself.

A quick shower with no one’s gaze on her is what Evie needs. She succeeds and is dressed back in her original outfit with navy blue fingerless gloves applying her makeup when Mal walks into the locker room. The purplette shuffles towards the sinks and watches Evie’s deft hand complete her winged eyeliner. She’s quiet as Evie works her magic taking it in and allows herself to catch her breath. Mal’s purple hair is tussled from the exercise and she feels sweaty, the back of her shirt sticks to her back proving her point. Most girls from Evie’s team are wrapping up their showers and the blue haired girl is the only one out and dressed with twenty minutes to spare before her next class.

“Where’s the fire, E?” Mal teases, leaning into the older girl who hovers the light pink lipstick close to her mouth.

Evie tries her best to suppress the shimmer that comes with the tickle of Mal’s voice onto her throat, but she proves unsuccessful. Mal quirks her eyes at the action and Evie mouths ‘cold’ as she swipes her lips in approval.

“No fire,” Evie answers, storing her makeup into her bag that rests underneath her feet. “Just didn’t want the stares.”

The second comment is said much quieter and Mal thanks the fact that she snuck out before the rest of her team was done with the laps. Grey-green lighten in understanding and begin to turn more gold at the weight under Evie’s words. She is much the same, maybe not as self-conscious about her body as Evie, but they both know the stares and taunts that can follow. Mal’s skin in that sense is more scarred than Evie’s, her scars mostly due to iron burns and a few hits and misses with blades. But the fae is not as marked as Jay and definitely nothing compared to Carlos.

Without hesitation Mal pulls Evie into a hug, one where the half-fae presses her front to Evie’s back making sure that her head rest on Evie’s shoulder even if it means standing on her tip-toes. They are not strangers to contact or affection, and while most of their affection is done outside of the public eye, when it comes to their demons neither girl will let the other one suffer without some promise of support.

“You’re beautiful, E,” Mal murmurs and she catches Evie’s eyes glimmer with tears for a second through the mirror. “Fairest of them all, right?”

Evie chuckles lowly and allows herself to lean back into the shorter girl. Her magic hums and Evie lets the weight of the world leave her if only for a second as she sags in Mal’s embrace. She’s tired and hungry and it sucks because she has two more classes before the day is over, but Evie wants to disappear. Her hands come to toy with Mal’s fingers that are also free from fingerless gloves. Evie sighs and turns to hug the other girl properly despite knowing Mal is sweaty and she is recently showered.

“Right,” Evie agrees, pulling away and locking gazes sharing an unspoken _thank you_. Her arms drop from Mal’s shoulder, but neither girl makes a move to add space between them. Instead Mal’s hands toy with the damp edges of Evie’s curls as she continues to speak. “I need to head out and meet Jay outside his Moral  & Ethics class, or else he’ll skip out on Language & Interpretation. And I am not feeling a meeting or lecture with Fairy Godmother today.”

Mal sniggers lowly well aware that Jay would skip if given the chance.

“I’ll see you after fifth, then?’ Mal asks quietly, hearing the door open and the rest of the girls from her team pour into shower. “We have to plan to take over the world, you know?”

Evie rolls her eyes and giggles leaning her forehead against Mal’s before taking a step back and smoothing her skirt.

“How could I forget?” Evie replies, but shakes her head. “I’ll see you after sixth. I told Andrea that I would sit-in on Diplomacy and Law. But when that’s over, I’ll come find you and we’ll go over some ideas before dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mal agrees. “Don’t die on me with the boringness of your next classes. I need that brain of yours to take over and you to keep me from murdering the boys.”

Evie laughs reaching out to squeeze Mal’s hand. “I’ll see you later, M.”

The door closes after Evie and the blue haired girl blinks at the sunlight that greets her eyes. She feels better, but then again she always does when Mal is involved. Spotting a clock hanging over the door leading back to hallways inside the castle, Evie notes that she has twelve minutes before fourth period officially ends. Thus, she has twenty-two minutes before fifth begins. Strolling towards the door she’s stopped by a call of her name from Coach Nakoma.

“Evie,” Coach Nakoma greets, watching the girl tighten her grasp on her bag strap as she turns towards the darker skinned woman.

“Coach?” Evie answers, meeting the older woman’s gaze while offering a gentle smile.

“You’re quick on your feet,” Coach Nakoma mentions. “Walk with me.”

The question is not a question, Evie understands from the tone.

“I have class,” Evie states, squaring her shoulders while she gestures towards the doorway under the clock. “Perhaps another time.”

“I’d rather we spoke now,” Coach Nakoma replies. “I’ll walk you to wherever you’re going.”

Evie nods silently and begins to lead the way slowing down enough for the pair to link pace. It’s quiet for a few moments, but Evie’s already racking her brain for things she had possibly done wrong within two hours of knowing the woman next to her.

“Is there a specific reason you wanted my attention,” Evie asks as they head closer to Jay’s classroom.

“Do you know what soccer is, Evie?” Coach Nakoma mentions.

Evie bites her bottom lip, but nods. “Yes. I know the basics.”

“So if I gave you a rulebook and asked for you to watch some videos sent by email, you’d be able to pick it up?”

“In theory yes. Why?”

And Evie has an inkling as to why the Coach would ask her for these things. She’s not sure why the Coach would ask her to participate in something that requires much physical exercise especially if she has a good team as is. In honesty, Evie is reluctant to entertain the idea of joining, being part of a team means relying on others. It means giving up total control and putting faith in your teammates. Most importantly, it means trusting—trusting strangers.

“Try outs typically happen three weeks into the fall semester where the season is short. The actual spring season is long—this season and it’s demanding of one’s time, but if I’m right about you Evie. You always step up to a challenge,” Coach Nakoma explains. “I want you to join the team. You’d be a good fit. We could use someone who keeps the other members on their toes. No pressure, just a suggestion. I want to offer the same opportunity to Mal, but I have a feeling she does not share well with others. Consider it for both of you, it would help with integrating into Auradon Prep. Think about it.  I’ll see you on Thursday, if you have any questions I’ll be happy to answer them.”

They come to a stop outside Jay’s classroom as the bell rings and Coach Nakoma settles a hand on top of Evie’s shoulder giving it a light squeeze before disappearing as students begin to flood the hallway. Evie watches the older woman sink into the crowd and her lips turn into a thin line. She’s not sure whether to be surprised or upset at the possibility of someone seeing potential in her. She has too much to worry about something trivial and not meaningful towards Evie’s true purpose of being in Auradon—to steal the wand and find a prince, no matter the cost.

 From the corner of her eye, she snaps her arm out and encloses her fist onto maroon cloth.

“Jay,” Evie calls, catching the taller boy’s collar. “Class is this way.”

“The fuck Evie,” Jay moans, slouching into the firm grip.

“Save it,” Evie says already pulling the long-haired teen towards their next class.

*******

“Okay now, I know you’re definitely stalking me,” Andrea teases swinging her arm over Evie’s shoulder—dropping it almost instantly when Evie tenses underneath her.

Sliding off Andrea’s arm fully, Evie gifts her a tightlipped grimace. Jay and her had arrive well before most students and had taken the two seats facing the doorway and closest to the teacher. The classroom tables were positioned to form a U-shape, where each seat had a screen, microphone, and a headset. At the opening of the horse-shoe was a podium where the educator would stand. Jay sits on the edge seat; his eyebrow lifts at the casual tone in Andrea’s tone before his brown gaze flickers toward Evie.

“In your dreams, Arendelle,” Evie quips, well aware Jay’s eyebrow raises even further. “I’m starting to believe you are the one stalking me.”

“Darling,” Andrea laughs plopping herself down next to the bluenette. “I don’t have time to stalk, too busy with life and all that.”

Evie rolls her eyes, but her posture relaxes.

“Andrea,” Evie says, pushing her seat back. “This is Jay. Jay this Andrea Frost.”

“Frost?” Andrea mouths, rolling the name on her tongue. “Where did you get that from?”

“It suits you as a last name,” Evie taunts.

“Pleasure, _Princess_ ,” Jay introduces himself with a smirk, winking for good measure.

Andrea laughs politely, but turns to look at Evie with a grin. Jay frowns noting that she holds no interest in him rather more intrigued with the blue haired beauty. Evie joins in with the laughter and the trio is lost in amicable conversation while other students filter in.

It’s a small class, Evie notes, twelve students in total. So instead of distributing them as far away as possible, the teacher Mr. Proteus—although he insists on dropping the Mr., faces six in front of six—across from her Ben sits, charming innocent smile. He waves when he sees her and Jay shooting them a disarming genuine grin and Evie frowns—she’s not sure why, but Ben and her there’s something there. Proteus clears his throat and Evie’s eyes snap to him:

“Class, these are our two new students,” Proteus declares and Evie cringes.

 _No shit, dumbass_. Jay shifts uncomfortably next to her and Evie raps her fingers on the desk.

“Why don’t you introduce yourselves,” Proteus continues.

 Evie expects a simple _Name’s Jay_ to come from her friend who literally looks like being skinned alive would be better than being stuck in this room. Except when Jay opens his mouth exhaling bored and says something it comes out as:

“اسم جاي,” Jay’s gaze widens as does Evie’s. He’s speaking Arabic. Something he seldom does unless he’s with his father or whispering comforting words to the villain kids.

Proteus pauses the class and points towards the microphone in front of him gesturing for him to repeat himself. Jay does but this time his pronunciation is much clearer and his prior response is echoes except the screen in front of each student displays **aism Jay**. Proteus points toward the headset and watches as the students in class put them on. Jay repeats himself one more time and Evie sighs hearing Jay’s voice clearly state in English “Name’s Jay”.

“Miss?” Proteus prompts and Evie swallows.

Dryly Evie nods and licks her lips, aware that the entirety of the class is looking at her.

Clearing her throat, Evie tentatively introduces herself: “Hallo ich heisse Evie.”

It takes all of herself control to school her facial features as the foreign tongue rolls out of her mouth. It is not that Evie is completely alienated from the language leaving her lips, but rather it is so rare for her to speak her mother’s second tongue. Growing up as the daughter of a Spanish woman who was ruler of a Spaniard monarchy before being married off to Leopold for strategic motives Grimhilde was far more intelligent than was often accredited. Daughter of a Spanish King and Queen, Grimhilde grew up in manners, money, and education—she had mastered the English language by twelve, French by sixteen, and was working on German when she was shipped off to Germany. There Grimhilde was put to the test and years later following Snow White, following her resurrection, following the Isle and the befriending of Maleficent, following Evie’s own birth did the woman dare speak either of her languages again.

 “Thank you Jay and Evie,” Proteus chuckles. “Now that you understand things work differently in the room. Language & Interpretation has been a course offered for many years at Auradon Prep. This is the first year we use these installations and make it a requirement for students to take beginning second semester their sophomore year. Now, in order to become more comfortable and fully be able to understand one another the headsets will be used. However, the goal is for each one of us to develop our mother tongue or another language by the end of the year. For the benefit of those joining us, I will go ahead and introduce the rest of you and the language you will be working with for the remainder of the school year. Aziz and Jay—Arabic; Merrick—Gaelic; Leonie Ryder—German; Melody and Tessa—Greek; Ben—French; Lonnie—Mandarin; Andrea and Skyla—Norwegian; Manvel—Spanish. Evelyn, you’re a special case your mother tongue is split between German and Spanish, so I will ask you keep up with both, but if it becomes too difficult I will allow you pick one.”

“ _Of course I get stuck with two_ ,” Evie mumbles to herself, Jay watching bewildered as it comes out in Spanish this time. “ _What Jay_?”

“ _I really regret not paying attention to you when you spoke Spanish or German on the Isle_ ,” Jay whispers back in Arabic and at the confused glance Evie shoots him, he scrambles for a piece of paper to transfer his thoughts.

Evie reads the scrawl on the notebook and huffs. She couldn’t wait for this period to be over with, not even twenty minutes in but she was ready for it to be done—the lecture they would have gotten from Fairy Godmother about skipping sounded much more appealing than the next hour and forty minutes.

*******

The bell could not ring any sooner to Evie’s ears and for the first time the dinging of metal against metal no matter how aggravating becomes music to her ears. She lets out a sigh as she closes her notebook and stores her pens. Jay frustratingly concludes writing in messy penmanship his reflections on the exercise donned to him and slumps further into his chair. Students begin to filter out and Evie watches them from the corner of her eye as she waits for Andrea and Jay to finishing packing up.

Her brown orbs linger on Ben as he stores his notebook and textbook smiling at the other students in the class. His brown hair falls in front of his eyes and Evie bites her lips—he surely is something. Handsome without a doubt, but that is not what draws Evie towards the King-to-be. He’s strong, yet gentle; large, nonetheless warm; smart, but insanely naïve—Evie wants to sink her hands into him in both a corrupt and not at all corrupt manner. The blunette’s fingers twitch as she imagines curling her index finger in the boy’s direction. Her magic flares at the possibility of aiding her strategic brain into making Ben her prey.

The shoving of Jay’s notebook into his bag and the soft, yet firm clearing of a throat brings Evie back to the moment. Andrea is standing next to Evie, her head tilted towards the door; a silent question playing through the blonde’s head. Jay also stands and motions with his hand towards the door.

“Is it dinner time yet?” Jay moans and Evie rolls her eyes.

“No, Jay,” Evie answers, nodding at Andrea who begins to lead them out of the class. “You’re free to go. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Where are you going?” Jay asks his arm slipping around Evie’s shoulder.

Evie’s magic spikes at the contact with Jay—a warm feeling and dark golden glow emits from their auras intermixing—invisible to anyone un-magical and blind to paying attention. Jay’s rusted ore overpowering Evie’s cobalt blue, probably due to an intense emotion dictating the boy’s actions—at least this is what Evie deducts. To anyone else it simply seems that Jay is being friendly or bordering on a boyfriend tendency, but Evie can hear the steel in his voice. She can sense the tensing of muscles as his finger dig lightly into the fabric of her shirt sleeve. She doesn’t have to look over to know Jay’s eyes are flitting around the hallway at a pace that is incredibly fast—analyzing for threats—while appearing laid back.

“Andrea suggested I sit in on Diplomacy and Laws with her,” Evie answers her right hand coming to land on top of Jay’s own, she squeezes. “You know to understand Auradonian law better. You’ll see me at dinner and before then, Jay.”

Her answer is friendly, but she knows Jay can comprehend the underlying order _“Back down. I’m fine. I’ll see you later. I’ll be safe.”_

“Oh,” Jay mentions, throwing in a grin for good measure as he sees Andrea watching them. “I don’t know why you would sit through more torture, but you do you, Eves.”

Evie rolls her eyes and gently shoves the older boy towards the directions of the dorms, mindful that his ribs are still healing, especially after tourney’s practice the previous day. Jay shakes his head and waves to both girls as he turns and begins trekking his way back to his room.

Evie offers a small smirk at Andrea as the blonde raises a quizzical eyebrow. But no words are exchanged and they walk in silence towards the school’s lecture hall. It’s the second biggest auditorium in the school and Evie takes note that Andrea greets Fairy Godmother and two other women gesturing towards the blue haired girl. Evie takes it as her cue to walk further into the room and closer to the front desk.

Swallowing dryly, Evie offers a trained smile towards the other two educators. They are more intimidating than Fairy Godmother, for sure—in fact Evie’s perplexed as to how Fairy Godmother teaches alongside them. One of the women is dark skinned with black hair and swirls of brown for eyes. She’s dressed smartly in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her short hair is clipped back with a simple elegant silver clip.

“Evie,” Andrea smiles warmly, “this is Professor Granville. She is technically the head of the Law Department at Auradon University, but side teaches Diplomacy and Law here at Auradon Prep.”

Evie nods in direction of the professor extending her hand.

“Pleasure,” Evie states, shaking the woman’s hand.

“Andrea’s request was interesting, but I look forward to hearing your opinion today and hopefully in the future,” Professor Granville’s replies, ending the shake.

Evie smiles softly and nods turning to look at the other woman—Professor Granville’s colleague. The other woman is even further intimidating, meeting Evie’s stare head on. She’s younger than the other two women (Fairy Godmother and Professor Granvillle), not even in her thirties yet if Evie was to guess. She has jet black hair and emeralds in her gaze; dressed in a tan colored suit with a pale green shirt and black shoes. There’s an air of familiarity—

“Shego?” Evie gasps as she imagines the other woman in a black and green bodysuit with glowing green hands.

Shego’s lips tilt up and she chuckles while Fairy Godmother frowns, Professor Granville lift’s an eyebrow, and Andrea for her part looks confused at the informal address.

“It’s Ms. Ogehs—Evie, we do not,” Fairy Godmother begins to correct, but is waved off by the dark haired woman.

“It’s alright, FG,” Shego replies. “You’ve grown, kid. What sixteen almost seventeen now?”

Evie scoffs as the older woman rakes her eyes over the teenager.

“Pastel colors are your thing now?” Evie challenges, crossing her arms.

Shego cackles once more and shrugs, offering her arm out for a specific hold. Evie tenses at the action well aware it meant a momentary truce back home. A rare used action that only typically used when debts started to involve older generations. Tentatively, Evie offers her own grasping the older woman’s elbow and feeling Shego’s hand around her own. They step away immediately after the warmth leaves them in seconds—both acutely aware of the other three women watching them.

“Don’t have much of choice,” Shego answers honestly. “I don’t have the luxury for leather, and I’m not exactly being professional in my old suit.”

“Last I remember you were Queen of the Streets in that suit. If you had let me tinker with it you could have taken over the docks,” Evie supplies, not wasting a breath with her comments. “How did you get off the Isle?”

“Wait what?” Andrea gapes. “How do you know each other? What is this?”

“Evie—” Fairy Godmother begins to speak only for Shego to raise her hand halting the shorter woman in her tracks.

“I would still be Queen of the Streets,” Shego states ticking off the answers to Evie’s question with her fingers. “That was debatable and that technically is a confidential story, but seeing as how you are here I am to assume Mal, Jay, and Carlos are here as well. Which means there is no point in me not telling you because I am to assume you’ll find out anyway. Long story short my brothers appealed for my liberation from the Isle.”

Evie snorts. “You hate your brothers.”

Shego smirks and leans on the desk behind her.

“I do,” Shego concedes. “Their appeals alone wouldn’t have gotten me off. It was dear Kimmie’s testimony and promise of rehabilitation that allowed my transfer. Apparently, she brought evidence of my time as a teacher and it was enough to get me off. Spent four years traveling and moved here to teach three years ago.”

“You left when you were twenty-three, twenty-five at most,” Evie whispers doing the calculations in her head. “It must have been off the books, King Adam would have never allowed it.”

“Kimmie always did have friends in high places,” Shego comments, clearing her throat and turning to gather her materials to the lecture. “You should take a seat, Evie. Class is going to start soon and Andrea might need help getting out of shock.”

Evie narrows her eyes, but nods she can tell the class is beginning to filter in. She lightly pushes on Andrea’s shoulder, but the blonde is still stunned eyes flickering from the blue haired princess to the teacher. Evie rolls her eyes at the blonde’s tendency and begins searching the lecture hall. She watches as different people begin taking sits in the lecture hall at different levels, but none sitting past the fifth elevated row.

“Second row, four seats in—that’s her typical seat and the fifth seat is also empty, Evie,” Professor Granville comments, gesturing towards the row.

The Girl from the Isle nods in gratitude, grabbing Andrea’s upper arm and dragging the complaint monarch to her unassigned, assigned seat. She settles both of them and Evie removes her nail filer from her purse—Andrea’s stare is starting to flare up her magic.

“Can you stop looking at me like I have two heads,” Evie hisses, her eyes not leaving her nails.

“I—just—what—but—like,” Andrea fumbles with her words as she pulls out her notebook and settles it on her desk.

Evie would chuckle if it was not irritating that the pair have drawn attention to themselves. She would have never expected the Arendelle Princess to lose her _cool_ (total pun intended) like this, she seemed so put together. Her magic simmers, but with a forced deep breath Evie manages to push away the urge to smack Andrea.

“Short story,” Evie grumbles, “I knew her back on the Isle. She was a role model of sorts for some of us. Now, stop staring and get ready for class.”

Andrea opens her mouth in hopes of asking more and delving further into the story, but the glare that Evie is shooting her does its magic and instead the blonde monarch closes her mouth quite wisely. Evie smirks in relief at the change in attitude, but as soon as the small tilt of lips paints its way onto her face it is wiped off clean.

“What are you doing here?” Audrey implores, her tone less than friendly and her posture reserved.

Evie rolls her eyes and her magic burns fueling her anger.

“I was invited to sit-in,” Evie answers, teeth clenched and eyes narrowing into slits.

Audrey frowns and her own eyes lessen into slits.

“Maybe you’ll learn a thing then,” the daughter of Sleeping Beauty growls.

Evie wants to reply, well she wants to deck the prissy student, but luckily for Audrey, herself, the Auradon girl swivels in her seat (directly in front of Evie).

The bell signaling the beginning of sixth period rings. Evie leans back in her chair as each of the teachers takes a stance behind three podiums in center-front of the auditorium: Professor Granville, Fairy Godmother, and Shego.

“Two months and twenty-seven days,” Professor Granville says, her voice firm as her gaze pierces the entirety of the room. “Eighty-eight days, that is exactly how long before Auradon names a new king.”

As if as on automatic every single person in the room shifts their gaze to Ben who flushes and fidgets in his seat (three to the left of Aubrey). Evie’s eyes snap to the future king, but return almost immediately to the three teachers. Where was the educator going with the speech?

“What does that mean for Auradon?” Professor Granville continues her eyes roaming the room before settling on a young man with black hair, dark brown eyes, and a tan complexion. “Aziz?”

“That depends,” Aziz answers, his voice disinterested.

“On?” Professor Granville prompts, her nails tapping against the podium.

“Whether or not Prince Benjamin chooses to follow his father’s style of ruling or implement his own rhetoric,” Aziz explains. “I can’t really say what happens to Auradon. You should pick someone else to answer the question.”

The room is launched into an uncomfortable silence that makes various students shift in their seats. Professor Granville seems to be at an impasse with the Prince of Agrabah. No one dares say anything and Evie sighs at the boringness and properness that is the land of the “free”.

“Essentially it means that Auradon citizens sit tight as his Highness has a clean slate to do whatever he wishes,” Evie calls out, taking note of how some of the students jump at her voice. Her gaze that had previously flickered over the students comes to steadily meet Professor Granville’s own. “It means that he has the opportunity to revise laws, elect a new council or court, renegotiate treaties within Auradon and outside Auradon, and visit his districts and/or territories including the Isle of the Lost which is under his jurisdiction.”

The echo of gasps sounds like a cacophony in the room. The crashes of anguish vibrate fervently and multiple pens hit either the desk or floor. Fairy Godmother’s pupils are wide and Professor Granville looks almost impressed, but Shego crosses her arms smugly.

“And you are?” Shego mentions, watching Evie’s brows furrow—she knew Evie. “Formal introductions must always be made when one is new to the class, just like you are to address one another by those titles. So, title?”

Evie falters for a second unsure of how to proceed, but a nudge on the left side of her ribcage and a slide of slip of paper, has red-brown eyes reading Andrea’s perfect script: _Title-Name, Province/Representation._

Clearing her throat, Evie speaks: “Daughter of the Evil Queen, thus Princess Evie of the Isle of the Lost, unless someone would like to challenge that notion.”

Her voice is cold and the last pieces of her sentence are aimed at Audrey who shivers.

“Pleasure of you to join us Princess _Evelyn_ ,” Shego grins before her smile disappears and her voice returns to a more authoritative one. “To make it easier on you and ease into today’s discussion in relation to change of power, I want each one of you to introduce yourselves and welcome the newest edition to the group. I believe Princess Evelyn will bring a fresh perspective to Auradon’s politics. Prince Benjamin, why don’t you begin?”

The King-to-be, slowly rises and his eyes meet Evie’s shooting her a small encouraging smile: “Prince Benjamin Florian of the United States of Auradon—I am the King-to-be and while my power resonates throughout the entirety of the nation, my bloodline makes me the official ruler of the French Colony in Auradon.”

One by one the remaining students begin to introduce themselves: Prince Aziz of Agrabah, Prince Merrick of Dunbroch, Princess Leonie Ryder from Corona within Auradon, Princess Skyla from Berk within Auradon, Prince Chad Charming from Cinder Woods within Auradon, Princess Melody from both Atlantica and Seashore Coast within Auradon, Princesses Mila & Kita of Atlantis, Prince Manvel and Princess Kyra from the Sun Kingdom within Auradon, Diplomat Li Lonnie of China an allied state to Auradon (but different than the four unaligned kingdoms), Demi-Goddess Tessa of Olympia (same situation as Lonnie), Princess Audrey from the Auroria district of the Enchanted Forest within Auradon, and finally Princess Andrea of Arendelle.

Evie takes note of every single member in the room; watching like a hawk how they introduce themselves. These are the future leaders of the world, the future Kings and Queens. Some stand and shake when their gazes cross path with interested pools of chocolate. Some glare and scoff and others try their best to remain impassive. Evie sees through it all. She sees the hesitance and disgust. She sees the leers and the ogle. Her magic hums to life begging for a challenge. It burns her insides—dying to be tested, to prove that she is more than her roots. But Evie is not stupid. She is not naïve. Auradon is not as white as it wants to be, it is a kingdom faded in grey tones. Instead, Evie smiles and hopes that the lessons thrust upon her stick. She nods and smiles politely, watching but never giving away her inner turmoil. She wills her magic to sleep.

*******

Auradon politics turn out to be more complex than originally thought. There’s a lot to intake and process, but Evie’s stomach growls quietly as the time passes. The bell rings—students pack and chairs scrape against the floor as bodies exit the room.

“Evie,” Professor Granville calls out and the blue haired teens stops mid-step down the lecture hall.

“Yes?” Evie replies tone tired.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” Andrea whispers and slips out a nod towards the three teachers.

“I would like you to stay in the class,” Professor Granville mentions, her nails tapping the table behind them. “You offer a challenge, a fresh point of view. You make the students think objectively.”

From the corner of her eye she sees Shego smirk. For a woman who had left the Isle almost a decade ago, the air of the island followed her. Briefly, the teen wonders if the green and black suit was hidden away in Shego’s home. She wonders if the woman can still conjure plasma from her bare hands, if it burns through the ground like acid does. If she’s ever hurt someone here in Auradon.

“I don’t know if that is a wise decision,” Fairy Godmother interrupts. “You just arrived Evie, I wouldn’t want you overwhelming yourself.”

Evie frowns at the insinuation behind the words. Her gaze comes to meet the Headmistress’s and the villain wants to chuckle. There is hesitance painted all over the woman’s face and a hint of fear—Evie gloats at the look. She thrives off the high of intimidation, she wonders if this from yesterday’s conversation about Auradon. The one where she began to show her true colors hidden behind a mask of indifference.

“She’s smarter than she looks,” Shego mentions, her arms crossed and tone bored. “She can handle it just fine. In fact, I want her in my economic course. It would be useful for her to understand Auradon’s economic system as it varies tremendously from the Isle’s.”

Evie quirks a brow at the plea for her stay from the other woman. There is no doubt that Auradon follows the law, but on the Isle no rule of money truly existed. Money was pointless, favors and debts on the other hand were far more prominent.

Fairy Godmother blanches. Her face is pale and her eyes flicker from her collegues to Evie.

“This is a lot for a student who has just entered Auradon’s schooling system,” Fairy Godmother stammers. “She has missed a month of both of these lessons. She is already behind in her other courses—I’m not sure this would be wise.”

“I can handle it,” Evie speaks, her voice steady. She can handle it—studying is nothing compared to living day by day on the Isle. The more she knows, the better she can help her friends steal the wand. The quicker she steals the wand the faster she can seduce Chad.

There’s a clap on her shoulder and Evie’s magic flares in alarm. Her Isle instincts kick in and she’s side stepped the hold, pushed the other person away and raised her fist. Fairy Godmother gasps and Professor Granville’s eyes widen in shock, but Shego chuckles rubbing at her shoulder.

“Stupid mistake,” Shego chuckles, rolling her shoulder, “I should have realized how jumpy you four are going to be. I’ll give you this week to get acclimated with Auradon. Next week I expect you in my Economic class; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at seven thirty in the morning—I’ll pair you with Andrea, she can show you the ropes.”

There’s not room for discussion as Shego turns and begins to organize her papers. Professor Granville shakes her head and extends her hand, Evie eyes it warily her heart still pounding in her chest, blood pulsing in her ears. Slowly, she raises it to shake and Professor Granville smiles and says:

“I will see you on Thursday, Evelyn. I will email you a list of the course material and notify Ms. Radcliffe—the schools librarian so that you can pick up your books by the end of the week,” Professor Granville lists off. “Welcome to Diplomacy and Law, Princess Evelyn.”

Evie blinks as she watches both educators leave the room. She lets out a sigh and turns towards the Headmistress who has begun to pack her own materials in a slumped posture. The blue haired girl clears her throat and watches the older fairy freeze.

“Yes, Evie?” There’s a resigned tone in the shorter person’s breath.

“What should I do about Remedial Goodness?” Evie asks, her voice soft despite not liking the older woman.

Fairy Godmother sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“I expect you to keep up with the work,” the teacher relents. “I will spend this week helping you understand the principles and purpose, but you will keep up with the reading and assignments.”

Evie nods, whispering a soft “thank you.”

“Evie,” Fairy Godmother calls out as the teens inches closer to the door ready to return to Mal and her friends. “Please, try and refrain from any assumptions. This is a class where we treat one another with respect.”

“Of course, Fairy Godmother,” Evie replies, smiling while her teeth grind. “I will see you tomorrow, morning.”

Blue hair whips over the girl’s shoulder as she struts fully out of the room. Fingers fist into palms and nails dig into sensitive skin. Evie rounds the corner only to halt as hushed voices and fake smiles greet her—the tail end of the comments ringing past her magic haze.

 _“She’s trouble Andrea, remember that. She’s not one of us,”_ Audrey hisses glaring at the villain. Andrea frowns turning to look at Evie who is the image of calm and collected, only raising an eyebrow.

It’s clear in the tense hallway that Evie heard the dying comment leave Audrey’s lips. However, Andrea knows the Princess—she knows Audrey will not take back her words. But the thing Andrea does not know is Evie, she’s not sure how the Girl from the Isle will react. She had heard the gasps from her fellow classmates at Evie’s interruption. She had felt the baited breaths whenever Evie moved during the class. She had seen the fear etched on the Auradon citizens and even Aziz, Kita, and Mila’s faces when their teachers asked for Evie’s insights and opinions. It rung like a siren—the message was loud and clear: Evie was not welcome—change was not welcome.

Audrey scoffs at Evie and Andrea. She turns to glare at the blonde, her tone anything but friendly.

“You know, I’m right,” Audrey states, Andrea opens her mouth to argue but the brunette has turned on her heel, strutting away.

The silence stretches between both foreigners, it keeps with them long after Audrey’s steps can no longer be heard. Andrea fingers the strap of her bag and Evie trains her gaze on the floor.

“I’m sorry,” Andrea says, her blue eyes shine with a sadness that catches Evie by surprise. An intense emotion so open and on display—it’s alarming. “I should have warned you that Auradon is not receptive to change. I apologize for Audrey too. Her parents have influence her to see the world the way they were raised. I’m sorry, Evie.”

Words attempt to spit past pink painted lips—words colored in venom and resentment, aiming to dislodge the misplaced pity that is oh so obvious in the _Princess’_ words because in truth, Evie hates pity, but more importantly she pities Audrey and she pities Andrea—two girls who do not know struggle, two girls who have lived sheltered, unknowing lives. Words that yearn to be spewed, but are lodged in a throat. So instead Evie nods and begins to walk, feeling more than knowing Andrea is walking in step back towards the dorms. The air that had begun to settle prior to class is gone and despite Andrea’s attempts at breaking the ice, the blonde catches on and keeps quiet.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Andrea asks, as they reach climb the stairs to the dormitories. Evie will turn left while Andrea will go right.

A sharp nod and Evie turns. Footsteps fade and Evie sighs quietly rolling her shoulders as the oak door to her room opens and closes behind her. Her head comes to rest against the wooden frame, eyes closed as a deep breath escapes her nostrils. Blue hair fall onto shoulders gracefully and Evie’s magic succumbs to the princess fatigue, fueling the owner to keep herself steady. The closing of a book force brown eyes to snap open and come into contact with green ones.

“You look beat,” Mal comments wryly as Evie’s bag thuds against the floor.

A fire ignites in Evie’s stomach as a small grin etches its way onto her face at the amused tone of her best friend.

Mal—Mal and her sarcastic tone and dry humor that can get Evie’s heart going like nothing else. Mal whose green eyes churn the contents of Evie’s stomach in a way Mother insisted only Princes could do. Mal who has always been her rock and with one glance could decipher all of Evie. Mal, her best friend and yet unknowingly so much more.

“Me?” Evie chuckles. “Never.”

Mal’s eyes twinkle and she gestures towards the table where a map of the museum lays alongside a book about the banishment of magic.

“Let’s get to it then, Princess,” Mal comments and Evie’s smile widens.

*******

They plan well into the night, pausing only for dinner momentarily before continuing well into curfew. Evie does her best to ignore Mal’s stern gaze at the small amount of vegetables and barely there portion of fish. Jay adds his dissatisfaction with a grumble and Carlos just slides a slice of apple pie towards her. Evie’s magic rages, but she bites hesitantly into the dessert; a small moan leaving her lips—apples, who would have guessed that she would actually enjoy them? At the noise the three others nod and continue their quiet discussion, always one of them watching the rest of the dining hall.

When they finally settle for their night, deciding that three am is as good as any to call it quits; the boys sneak out of the room and Mal locks the door once more with a flick of her wrist. Mal and Evie move in synch, bringing the covers to the floor and settling themselves once again next to one another. Mal tucks herself into Evie’s figure and the girls wait patiently until sleep overcomes them.

When Evie wakes, Mal is half on top of her—the blue haired princess grins. The sun is filtering through their blinds and Evie can’t help but to trace the other girl’s features with her eyes. There’s a sharp knock on their door and Mal jolts awake, traces of sleep lost in a manner of seconds.

“Evie?” Andrea’s voice comes from the other side of the door.

“What the fuck?” Mal whispers, rubbing at her eyes and Evie shrugs, but rises to walk over to the door.

Slowly, Evie opens the door a smidge, enough to look at the other girl—but not enough for the monarch to look into their room.

“Hey,” Andrea smiles at Evie’s raised eyebrows.

“You do know it’s not even seven am yet,” Evie speaks, her voice tinged with annoyance and laced with a deepness brought on only by sleep.

Andrea blushes and Evie can sense Mal’s piercing gaze on her back.

“Yeah,” Andrea chuckles awkwardly. “I’m sorry about that, just Ms. Ogehs sent me an email about you joining our class. I swung by Ms. Radcliffe’s office at the library to get your texts. And I know we have class later today, but I’ll be busy with soccer until late. I wanted to drop all these things off so that you could look them over and let me know if you had any questions.”

Evie blinks at the amount of the words that spill from the taller girl’s mouth. Her gaze travels to the bag at Andrea’s feet and nods.

“Um,” Evie replies, taking a second to formulate her thoughts. “Thank you.”

“Yeah,” Andrea mentions. “I’ll see you later, then?”

Evie nods mutely and turns shutting the door and coming to meet grey-green eyes that look very unamused.

“Classes?” Mal asks her tone flat and Evie groans.

“I didn’t mention it ‘cause I didn’t feel like it pertained to our plans,” Evie answers. “But yes, classes, remember how I mentioned Shego was part of the faculty.”

“I thought you were pulling my leg,” Mal comments taking a seat next to Evie on the bluennette’s bed.

“If only,” Evie sighs rubbing at her temples. “She wants me in economics and diplomacy and law. Fairy Godmother is going to be salty with me, she did not agree with Shego.”

Mal hums and Evie drops her head onto the shorter girl’s shoulder. Instinctively, Mal’s hand comes to run through blue tresses—Evie’s eyes close.

“Things just became more interesting,” Mal says. “Complicated for sure, but interesting.”

“Don’t tell me that,” Evie whines.

It’s going be a long couple of months before coronation. Evie feels the edges of a migraine coming back, so much for life being easy.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Schedule  
  
---  
  
Student

| 

Elective

(1h)

| 

1st

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

2nd

(2h)

| 

3rd

(1h30)

| 

4th

(2h)

| 

5th

(2h or 1h30*)

| 

Elective

(1h or 1h30*)  
  
Evie

| 

Economics

| 

Chemistry*

| 

History

| 

Free

| 

Mannerisms

& Chivalry

| 

Moral & Ethics

| 

Free  
  
Tuesday and Thursday Schedule  
  
Evie

| 

Remedial Goodness

| 

Advanced Calculus

| 

Free

| 

Literature

| 

Gym

| 

Language & Interpretation

| 

Diplomacy and Law  
  
 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that these are super important, but in case anyone was wondering. Here are the characters I mentioned by name, but probably will not make too great of an appearance.  
> Aziz—Aladdin and Jasmine’s eldest son who is a second semester junior.  
> Jari—Aladdin and Jasmine’s youngest who is a second semester freshman.  
> Anthony — Queen Elsa’s eldest child, twin brother to Andrea. His father is The Spirit of Winter aka Jack Frost (Evie’s comment wasn’t so far off); this will be addressed partially further along in the story as Evie and Andrea’s relationship develops. He is a first semester junior (because he and Andrea come from a differing kingdom academically they are a semester ahead similarly Merrick and Elliot are as well).  
> Merrick—Queen Merida’s only son, his father is one of neighboring kingdom’s diplomats. He’s a first semester junior.  
> Elliot Bjorgman — Princess Anna’s and Kristoff Bjorgman’s oldest son, he is a first semester sophomore.  
> Leonie Ryder—Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene/Flynn Ryder’s daughter, second cousin Andrea, Anthony, and Elliot. She is a second semester sophomore.  
> Skyla—Astrid and Hiccup’s eldest daughter. She is a second semester junior.  
> Tessa— Hercules and Megara’s daughter. She is a second semester sophomore.  
> Melody—Ariel and Eric’s only daughter. She is a second semester sophomore.  
> Mila & Kita—Milo and Kida’s twin daughters. They are both second semester juniors.  
> Manvel & Kyra—Kuzco and Malina’s (from Emperor’s New Groove Cartoon) twin children. They are both second semester freshmen.  
> Nakoma—the female varsity soccer coach, she is from the movie Pocahontas  
> Proteus—the Language & Interpretation teacher, he is from the movie Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas  
> Professor Granville —the Diplomacy and Laws teacher alongside Fairy Godmother and Shego. She is an actual character from the upcoming Big Hero 6 animated television series.  
> Shego Ogehs— formerly a supervillain, Shego from Kim Possible, is the teacher for Economics, advanced sciences, and introductory biology.  
> For the characters we are all familiar with:  
> Ben, Chad, and Doug are second semester sophomores. Jane is a second semester freshman and currently it is the spring semester around the midst of February. The VK’s arrived a month (more or less) late into the new semester. Audrey and Lonnie are first semester juniors, due to credits, and will have the choice to graduate with their class or graduate a semester early from them.  
> Evie, Mal, and Jay are second semester sophomores; Evie will probably gain enough credits to level up a class similar to Audrey, Andrea, and Lonnie (this has no real importance quite yet, but I might decide to do a series of one-shots following this story). I’m debating placing Carlos as a sophomore despite him being the youngest or following a similar track to Andrea, Anthony, Audrey, Elliot, Lonnie, and Merrick, and eventually Evie, who are a semester ahead from the rest.


	5. I've Got Some Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are two sides to everything in life. That includes two sides to Evie's week:
> 
> With Mal it is unspoken, communicated through touch and looks. Something like grey-green meet red-brown once again—silent conversations exchanged through glances. A dance that the two sixteen year-olds have been engaging in ever since an eight-aged, blue-haired, shut-in met a seven-aged, purple-locked, feared-child. One that they have yet to completely master, but willingly lose themselves in time and time again
> 
> With Andrea it is through words and gestures. More along the lines of a shout in glee of, "Later, Blue!”  
> “Blue?” Evie mouths watching the blonde grin in a charming and cute manner, waving as she dashes to her class. 'Blue?' Evie thinks... She could deal with that, grow to like it even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Insinuated rape and sexual assault (especially at a young age). If you wish to skip ahead it is the part in the story labeled as “Three Years Prior.”
> 
> On a happier note, thank you so much for the support with this story. IT's been a rough year and this story has helped me so much through it as well as helping me find a voice again in writing.  
> I hope you all have an amazing welcome to 2018 and may it bring the best for you all.  

_Less than Two and Half Months Prior to Coronation_

The silence of Auradon Prep following classes is always something that takes Evie by surprise. Wednesday afternoons (the occasional Mondays too) are often the only time the blue haired girl catches a break from everything. The boys are at tourney practice and Mal always takes her time walking back from Language & Interpretation, meanwhile, Moral & Ethics often lets out a few minutes early. So for the past three weeks it has been a mixture of feelings coming back to a silent room. The Isle was rarely silent, not even in the dead of the night; silence meant that people were scheming that something sinister was coming.

Evie much rather prefers noise, she likes that she can focus on other things rather than her own heartbeat. There is a sense of safety in noise, unless it was coming from her. No, she needed to be silent, be able to blend into thin air, disappear when the moment was opportune. So Evie finds the perfect solution to the quiet; she sews. Granted, Jay stole the machine and Evie may or may not have snatched the first pieces of fabric from the art studio, but Evie sews out of scraps filling her room with background noise.

Humming lightly to herself, Evie works on a lilac shaded skirt for Mal—not that Mal knows it’s for her. The sun filters through the shades and Evie basks in the feeling of warmth, something rarely felt back home. Her fingers work nimbly along the material making sure she does not lose track of what she pictures. Lost in thought she registers Mal’s entrance to the room, but her focus remains on the outfit in front of her.

“I hate school,” Mal moans as she drops face forth onto Evie’s bed. Her backpack hitting the floor next to her. Evie pauses her sewing to look up at the younger girl and lets out a chuckle at the sight.

“Stop laughing,” Mal growls, but it loses all its effects due to it coming out as a mumble and Evie’s grin widens at her friend’s antics.

“I’m sure school hates you too,” Evie comments, mirth coloring her eyes as her best friend flips her off. “What happened today?”

“Ugh,” Mal whines, flipping onto her side so she can look directly at Evie. “Jane mentioned that I was the one to magic away her hair problems and about four different girls approached me asking if I could do the same.”

“I’m not seeing a problem with this,” Evie mentions, her hands returning to the machine. “We could charge them and use the money to buy more supplies for me. See if we can get quality leather because if I have to sew something else in pastel colors, I might throw up.”

Mal raises her head from the bed to glare at the older teen.

“Buy?” Mal spits, the word sounding foreign to her tongue. “Since when do we buy things? Auradon better not be making you soft, E.”

Evie rolls her eyes and purses her lips.

“As if, M,” Evie says, voice dripping in sarcasm. “But if we buy, then we assimilate, if we assimilate, no one will be the wiser when we steal the wand.”

“At this rate it’ll be if we steal it,” Mal groans, heading dropping back onto the bed. “We’ve been researching for three weeks now and nothing. There is not a single book that explains the barrier around the wand or how to break it free. What’s the point of having a wand if it’s going to be locked up?”

Evie stops the machine once more and stands. Walking over to her best friend, she kneels at the edge of the bed bringing them to eye-level.

“Andrea mentioned to me something about the coronation,” Evie explains, her hand coming to walk across the space between them on the bed. “She said that the wand is used—Doug had spoken about it, but very briefly. Fairy Godmother uses it to bless the new king, apparently. That could be our window.”

Mal hums her own hand coming to join Evie’s drawing random figurines onto the bedsheet, occasionally brushing the other girl’s hand.

“Two months,” Mal sighs, “that means waiting two months.”

Evie nods hearing the hesitancy in her leader’s voice.

“But it’s a sure window,” Evie continues. “Unless we come up with something else, then it will probably be our biggest and safest bet.”

“Coronation it is, then?” Mal replies, catching red-brown orbs in her own green-grey. “Now why was Arendelle mentioning coronation? Unless it was a topic that came up in Diplomacy and Law.”

Evie blushes slightly and shakes her head watching how her friend’s gaze narrows.

“E?” Mal pushes, her actions following the urging in her voice. She raises herself onto her elbows and catches Evie’s hands in her own.

“It’s nothing, M,” Evie says, her hands toying around Mal’s. “She was just explaining how it works; the gowns, the party, the ceremony…the dates.”

Mal’s brow raises and her eyes glow green, Evie shudders at the color unsure exactly what it was making her feel. Lust? Attraction? Fear?

“Dates?” Mal’s voice is tight and Evie shrugs.

“Yeah, dates,” Evie whispers, “but like I’m thinking of going with Chad. A Prince, remember? Mother wants him.”

“Princes are unnecessary for someone as smart and beautiful as you,” Mal grumbles, her hold on Evie’s hands loosening at the blue haired girl’s answer.

Evie gasps quietly at the words tumbling from the half-fae’s lips. Her red-brown orbs tickle with tears, but shine bright with wonder and Evie swears she falls a little bit more for her best friend.

“Mother won’t accept that as a valid answer,” Evie mumbles, her thumbs rubbing Mal’s wrists. “But thank you…now, why don’t you flip through the spell book and see if we can find anything that could lead us into dismantling the barrier or a time freezing spell?”

Dramatically, splaying herself onto her back Mal exhales: “It’s so far…”

Evie shakes her head at the purple haired girl and chuckles. Standing, Evie crosses the threshold of their room and grabs Mal’s spell book and sketching pad, knowing Mal would want to distract herself at some point. She walks them over to the smaller girl who smiles softly in thanks, before returning to the table to work on her sewing project.

They work in silence together, occasionally exchanging glances, but for the most part lost in their own worlds. That is until a sharp knock is heard resonating through their dorm and they freeze.

Mal tenses at the sound and Evie raises and eyebrow, the boys can waltz in courtesy of Mal’s protection spell. So who could be knocking at their door? Andrea tends to announce herself, Doug gives himself away from about fifty feet out, so that already takes out two people.

“Mal?” Jane’s voice is timid as it carries over the thick door.

Mal rolls her eyes, flicks her wrist, and calls out: “It’s open.”

Jane, hesitantly, peaks her head—smile widening at Mal slouched form.

“Hi Mal,” Jane greets walking into the room and leaving the door wide open. Her gaze travels around the room taking into account how ordain it looks; her eyes meet blue hair and Jane blushes. “Hey Evie, I didn’t know you were here.”

Evie quirks a brow; where else would she be?

“Jane,” Evie replies, her focus returning to her handiwork.

“Anyway,” Jane mentions her attention on Mal, “I spoke with my mom.”

This peaks Mal’s interest and causes Evie to pause her work and look up. Jane ignores the fact that the thrumming of the machine is gone and continuous on her rant unaware of the two girl’s complete focus despite the illusion of them not paying too much attention.

“…If a boy can’t see the beauty within then he’s not worth it. Can you believe it? What world does she live in?” Jane finishes her musings with a dramatic drop onto Mal’s bed.

From her position on Evie’s bed, Mal’s gaze stays on her sketches as she answers: “Auradon.”

Evie chuckles and raises her head to look over at the half-fae. Detailing the last stich on her new navy skirt—having hidden Mal’s away for when the girl was not around—Evie pulls it out and says: “Mal, do you like?”

Mal glances up and smiles, butterflies gather in Evie’s stomach at the compliment that follows from Mal’s mouth.

“Yeah, it’s cute.” Their gazes meet. “Brings out your eyes.”

They share a secret smile and Evie giggles a reply that causes Mal to roll her eyes: “I know.”

From Mal’s bed, Jane calls out: “I’ll never get a boyfriend.”

Mal huffs, “Boyfriends are overrated.”

Evie’s heart skips a beat at that—would Mal feel the same about girlfriends? She decides to test the waters.

“How would you know Mal?” Evie asks, tone darkening as fear creeps its way into her thoughts. “You’ve never had one.”

“It’s cause I don’t need one, E,” Mal quips and Evie shivers at the intensity behind Mal’s eyes. Behind Mal’s façade Evie can read the crystal-clear message _and neither do you, you never have._ It robs Evie of her breath, but Mal is already continuing to speak. “There a waste of time.”

The room is silent for a moment and Evie returns to her work. The tapping of the machine is a filler for background noise and Evie’s thoughts are racing a mile a minute. Her phone (one Andrea had gifted her, saying it was old and could use a new owner) chimes twice, a message from the Arendelle Princess and one from Chad. **_Meet after dinner to work?_** Evie replies with a quick message and then she reads the unread message from Chad. **_How’s my work going?_**

“Fuck,” Evie groans, hearing Jane gasp from her right.

Mal quirks a brow and with a teasing tone, taunts the older girl: “Language, Evie.”

Evie shoots her a mock glare and Mal laughs a feather light tinkle that causes Evie’s insides to melt. God, does she have it bad.

“Shut up, I forgot to do Chad’s homework,” Evie says, stopping her work fully and raising so that she can retrieve Chad’s backpack from beside her nightstand. “I need to get on it, he literally has so much… _scheiße_.”

Evie can feel Mal’s judgment carry itself out with the words that leave the purple haired half-fae’s lips: “And that is exactly what I mean.”

Evie’s mouth forms a retort, but before she can voice it—she decides not to. It is not that Mal is right, but she is not completely wrong. So instead Evie whispers a soft enough reply that only Mal will pick up.

“He’s not my boyfriend and he won’t be by choice.”

Mal’s pencil stops and Evie watches through thick lashes how her friend sighs visibly. The grip on the wooden encased graphite tightens and the Princess can practically see the gears turning in the younger girl’s head. Grey-green meet red-brown once again—silent conversations exchanged through glances. A dance that the two sixteen year-olds have been engaging in ever since an eight-aged, blue-haired, shut-in met a seven-aged, purple-locked, feared-child. One that they have yet to completely master, but willingly lose themselves in time and time again.

Seconds that seem like ages tick by and neither girl moves or speaks, content in communicating through looks. That is until Lonnie waltzes in, small felt bag bouncing in her hand.

“Hey guys,” Lonnie greets meeting Jane, then Evie, and finally Mal’s eyes; her bob-styled-haircut swaying with the movement. Extending her hand towards the latter, she continues, “I’m Lonnie. My mom’s Mulan.”

Mal blinks, not entirely sure who Mulan is exactly and looks at Evie who mouths a _later_ back. The offered hand is dropped and Lonnie coughs to bring the attention back to her and the small jingling bag. “…Anyways, I love what you did with Jane’s hair and I know you hate us and well you’re evil, but do you think you could do mine?”

It is a rambled question that throws Mal in for a loop. Evie frowns and chuckles at the same time because this was exactly what Mal had complained about not even an hour ago and it is such a Lonnie-way to ask.

Mal is not amused and in a bitter tone counters: “Why would I do that for you?”

Each word is coated in disdain and Evie shivers at the tone. Bad-Mal can definitely be a turn-on, so long as she is within reason. Lonnie’s gaze narrows and a small smile crosses her face as she raises the pouch.

“I’ll pay you fifty dollars,” Lonnie bargains and Evie is out of her seat, nicking the bag.

“Good answer,” Evie answers as she shoots Mal a pointed look—the half-fae whining immediately. “I need to buy more material. Let’s see I’m thinking we lose the bangs, maybe some layers, and some—”

“I want it cool, like Mal’s,” Lonnie interrupts and Evie quirks a brow, voice dropping.

“Really,” Evie sneers—she loves Mal, she really does, but her friend’s hair is less than pristine. No matter the amount of times Evie has tried to help Mal move into a new style or care-routine. And Evie is petty—still hurt at the tone Mal had taken with her, “…the split ends too?”

Mal scoffs meeting Evie’s eyes, but Evie knows Mal just like Mal knows Evie. So with another pointed look and a small pout, Evie wraps Mal around her finger. It helps that the sweet music of coins hitting coins sounds throughout the room.

 “Ugh,” Mal relents gazing into Evie’s eyes, a quiet _you owe me_ transpiring, “Fine.”

Evie smirks triumphantly and Lonnie squeals. Mal rolls her eyes and flips through the book landing on the same page she had weeks prior.

 “Beware, forswear, replace the old with cool hair.”

The spell falls from thick lips and Evie is mesmerized by Mal’s use of magic. Her spell is followed by quick hand motions that Evie engrains in her head. Her magic reacts to it and warms at Mal’s familiar aura. There’s a glow from Lonnie’s hair as it grows and settles around her shoulder. Evie is not quite pleased with it noticing how Mal’s magic seems to lessen if she is not interested, but Lonnie seems to like it so she’ll let it be.

“If you want a touch-up,” Evie comments, taking a stand next to Lonnie in front of the mirror. “I suggest we layer it.”

Lonnie bites her lip in contemplation as she assesses her new look alongside her outfit.

“I’d listen to her,” Mal points out, looking at both taller girls. “E, knows what she’s doing.”

“I like it,” Jane adds her two cents. “It’s kind of weird having long hair.”

 “No, no,” Lonnie says. “I love it. I…it’s just…uh…” But before she’s finished her sentence Lonnie has ripped her skirt half-way up her thigh. Evie and Mal quirk a brow at the gesture and Jane’s eyes widen. “…now I’m cool.”

Mal chuckles lowly and whistles: “Cool, like ice.”

“Didn’t know you had it in you,” Evie whoops, “guess we might be rubbing off on you guys.”

Lonnie beams at the look of approval from both girls. Jane for her part swallows and Mal turns to look at her.

“Gonna join in the fun, Jane?” Mal asks, her gaze becoming more scrutinizing.

The smaller fairy falters as Lonnie and Evie turn to look at her.

“Nah,” Evie snickers, “she would never.”

Lonnie for her part just shoots her an encouraging grin. It is not that Jane and her are friends per say, but rather they are acquaintances and it does not kill her to be supportive. Hesitantly, Jane comes to rip her own skirt; Evie and Mal looking impressed despite Jane’s horrified face.

“What did I just do?” Jane gasps, dismayed as she looks at her skirt. “Mom’s going to kill me.”

Evie rolls her eyes and lays a hand on the youngest girl’s shoulder.

“Tell you what, Jane,” Evie purrs. “You pay me twenty-five and I’ll sew it up. Pay me forty and I’ll give you an upgrade.”

Jane turns to look at Evie and her head nods. “Please, I’ll run to my dorm and grab the money. I’ll be right back.”

Without a second thought the smallest girl sprints out of the room. Lonnie snorts and waves thanking Mal once again before walking out the room.

“Look at you, Princess,” Mal mentions, coming to stand next to Evie. “Running a business already.”

Evie smirks and heckles: “All in a day’s work, M.”

 

Evie’s fuming—how dare he? How dare Chad get angry over her little mishap of forgetting his homework for one day? How stuck-up can he be?

The magic in her veins boils, egging on her ire. The hallways are silent and Evie thanks her lucky stars that people are either at dinner or the library because Hades forgive anyone who crosses her path. Each stride is matched with a surge of magical energy that bubbles at the edge of Evie’s fingertips. She’s so close to her room, but Mal will be there and she cannot let her roommate see her. Firstly, Evie’s sure Mal would beat Chad to a pulp and if not her then Jay or Carlos. Secondly, there is no way Mal would not notice the sheer amount of magic emitting from Evie and then that would become a can of worms in itself. So instead, Evie pivots and storms her way towards the gymnasium in hopes that it is empty.

And for some bizarre reason it is—well the fitness room is, but Evie will take it. Coming in front of a punching bag, Evie reels her arm back and brings it down full force. A satisfying _smack_ reaches her ears, but instead of lessening her fury, it only fuels it more.

“Fuck you, _Chad,_ ” Evie spits as her fist makes contact once again with the leather of the bag. “Fuck all this shit.”

But hit after hit does nothing to simmer her rage, nothing at all. She’s still angry. She still infuriated at Charming Jr. Her magic courses through her and Evie no longer has the force of will to keep it hidden.

So she channels her energy and lets her magic do its thing; no clear idea of what will occur.

What she does not expect is for her magic to turn into a blue flame, a fireball launching itself onto the outer layer of the punching bag and igniting it into a blaze.

“ _Puta madre_ ,” Evie gasps stumbling back. Her back hits a wall and she slips to the floor, eyes trained on the blue fire that is consuming the bag, but creating no smoke. “What the fuck?”

Mesmerized by her creation, Evie slips off her gloves and flips her hands over scanning them for any sign of burn marks, but all that meets her gaze is the blemishes from previous years. Closing her eyes the blue haired teenager tries taking a deep breath trying to calm down her anxiety. Evie’s ears echo, her hands clam up, and there is a shortness in her breaths. Tightening her hands into white-knuckle baring fists, Evie shakes as she tries to concentrate her magic back into the cage of her body. But Evie’s magic does not relent so easily, it fights against her—finally after weeks of being trapped. It oozes from Evie no matter how hard she tries and Evie for the life of her cannot figure out why.

So minutes tick by as Evie stares at the blue flames that consume the leather, burning it away until all that is left is sand. Sand that due to the heat begins to melt into tiny pieces of glass that patter to the floor. Silent, Evie watches, her eyes drawn to the blue flash not entirely sure what to make of it. Swallowing dryly, Evie stands and her knees wobble as she inches closer to the fire. It does not warm her the way it should; it does not spread. It stays contained to what was once a single punching bag that now has melted sand into a pile of tiny, sharp crystal shards. The metal rung that had carried the weight of the bag, is red, but remains the same shape and Evie reaches towards the entity of floating blue, curios to what may occur upon contact.

Her hand shakes.

Afraid, Evie’s right hand thrusts into her creation. Except when her hand passes the barrier of heat, Evie feels a tickle. The flames dance around her, they scratch the surface of her skin without feasting on her like they had on the leather. In fact, Evie feels them meld into her—in synch with her emotions. They are linked. This magic—it is hers and hers alone. It is a part of her that no one else can control. So a chuckle leaves pink lips and transforms into a cackle that Maleficent and the Evil Queen would approve of and maybe even cower at.

The wrath the bluenette had felt is fading and in its wake curiosity lingers. Intently observing, Evie raises both her hands and watches as the fire drains away into her entity. It extinguishes itself with no grand climax and no scent of burning. It settles into her and Evie hugs herself as warmth extends to all her extremities. There is no evidence of her crime with the exception of a missing punching bag and a mound of tiny splinters that are sharp enough to cut.

Taking a knee, Evie glides her hand over the glass. A sharp hiss leaves plump lips as brown orbs trail a red dribble which tints the shining speckles. More careful, Evie concentrates her magic onto the palm of her right hand. She feels most of it rush to gather waiting in anticipation for its release once more. In the back of her mind Evie remembers reading about how magic takes differing forms dependent on species, purposes, and power sources.

Fae’s magic travels in blood streams and it’s drawn, controlled partially from emotions but mostly through logical thought and instinct. There is no way to remove a Fae’s magical abilities it is part of their being. Evie can’t help but remember glancing at Mal and taking into account all that aligned with what she read and her friend.

Genie magic is more limited and at the same time more liberated. Chained to demands and built on rules; this magic comes with its own price. Genies are free until they are under someone’s command, but for that to happen then they must have a lamp, a home, choose to surrender themselves to those rules. Jay will never become a Genie, too bent on his freedom, but his father a Sorcerer converted into a Genie has passed enough magic to make Jay powerful almost like one.

A Sorceress, a Witch, an Enchantress, a Magician, a Necromancer, an Alchemist all are born mortal. They are ordinary human beings that choose to involve themselves or are thrust into a magical world. They have inklings and talents, a knack for magic. And through time and dedication the magic seeps into their beings, tied into their souls.

Evie is the daughter of a Witch. A Sorceress gone rogue. A Necromancer who let greed and fear dictate her actions leading to a lifetime of imprisonment, vengeance, and controlling need to live vivaciously through a damaged teenager. The magic her mother carried was part of her and the bluenette is also a part of Grimhilde. Thus, magic is in the Isle Princess’ DNA. Evie is an Enchantress; through practice, through genetics, through everything. The blue fire is proof enough that she has power. Power that has displayed itself so far with anger and wonder. This magic, it is a part of her and while it will never compare to Mal’s fairy blood—the magic Evie carries could give her best friend a run for her money.

Waving her hand over the altered sand, Evie closes her eyes and wills herself to picture a small mirror. She remembers reading Mother’s alchemy texts and trying to understand the theories spilling over pages. She remembers being a little girl and fawning over magic and what is would feel like to use. She remembers comparing Mother’s beauty rituals of mixing acids and non-acids for lotions, makeup, and poisons. She remembers dreaming of combining the lessons of beauty products (all based on simple chemistry processes) with magical recipes, hoping that one day she would be able to use them. Most, importantly Evie remembers the books she had just begun to read and how the easiest way to achieve control over one’s magic is to impose one’s will.

 So opening her eyes, Evie huffs as she sees the mound remain untouched. Inhaling through her nose, Evie urges her magic to her fingertips. She pictures the same simple reflective surface a bit larger than Mother’s own. She visualizes a blue stream dripping from her digits and layering the previous sand. She envisions a small cloud of light blue smoke covering the melted shards and bringing them together, revealing a simple mirror casted in a lilac frame. She focuses all her energy on said image and waits, waits to feel a warmth leave her. Her eyes remain closed and Evie waits. Little by little she feels the energy drain out of her and when a sigh escapes Evie forces her eyes open.

In front of her is a cracked mirror with a white splattered border, the occasional off-shade of purple thrown in the mix. For a second-attempt Evie counts it as a win. She cradles the object to her chest, and shakily stands. She is tired. The fury she had felt towards Chad greatly diminished and the inquisitiveness of her magic sated; now all Evie is, is exhausted. So picking up her bag from the floor, the blue haired princess walks ever so slowly to her room.

 

It does not take her long to reach the brown-red oak that is her dorm door. Wearily and quietly, Evie turns the knob. The room is dark, the only light filtering in comes from the moonlight illuminating Mal’s form on the floor between their beds. Despite it being almost a month after leaving the Isle the beds are still too suffocating for them.

“Where were you?” Mal’s voice is a touch of cold and worry.

The bag slips from Evie’s shoulder landing with a small _thud._ The older teen tip-toes over to the dresser, slipping off her shoes and setting down the cracked mirror, face-down on the wooden surface.

“Talking to Chad, then studying.” Evie answers. “I had to finish his work.”

It is not a complete lie, just the finishing his work. She omits the anger that had consumed her and resulted in Evie’s first real encounter with her magic.

Mal hums from the covers and she turns to look at her best friend. Grey-green eyes beginning to glow an emerald as they watch Evie strip quickly in order to change. Not unaccustomed to changing in front of her friends, Evie still shivers at the gaze—she always does when it involves the intense stare of her friend.

“It’s almost one in the morning, E,” Mal mentions. “You were out after curfew.”

Evie is sure that Mal’s tone is more concern than anything else. She blinks as the words sink in fully and her hand hovers over the make-up wipes.

“Did you seriously just point out _curfew_?” Evie blurts out, a teasing smirk crossing her face when she processes Mal’s second comment. “Has the big-bad, Mal finally succumbed to some of Auradon’s goodness?”

 “Fine,” comes the sharp reply. “I won’t save you next time you get caught.” It is accompanied by the crossing of arms and a cold glare.

Evie softens at the action, catching on to Mal’s snippy tone. A tone she knows well— _where were you? Did something happen? Are you okay? I was worried, even if all never admit it out loud?_ A tone filled with questions of reassurance and need that can never be voiced. Moments tick by in silence as Evie slips into an oversized shirt and small sleeping shorts. Pulling out a makeup wipe Evie dabs away her foundation, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and all that Evie has learned to craft to perfection ever since she was a little girl.

“I didn’t realize it was that late,” Evie confesses, once her face is cosmetic-free. “I would have come back sooner had I noticed.”

A silent _I’m sorry_ is left in the air and the half-fae’s form relaxes.  

“It’s okay,” Mal murmurs and Evie lets out a breath she was unaware she was holding.

Moving in the dark Evie finds the knob to the bathroom and just as she glides in she calls over her shoulder: “I’ll be right there, M. Just give me five minutes.”

And like Mother taught her, _Princesses’ keep promises, Evelyn. Your word must be trusted_ , Evie is slipping underneath the pile of blankets next to the person she trusts the most four minutes later.

“You’re cold,” Mal hisses as Evie’s hands pass by hers, but that does nothing to deter the purplette from snuggling closer. Evie’s low chuckle vibrates on the shell of a slightly pointed ear as tan skinned arms come to wrap around a paler frame.

“Well are you going to warm me up?” Evie asks, her register beginning to be taken over by sleep.

“As if,” Mal retorts, her body yet again countering what was said.

Purple hair comes to rest across an indigo shaded t-shirt. The shorter girl’s head tucked underneath Evie’s chin. Bare arms tighten around Mal’s small frame and pink lips press one feather-light kiss upon shades of deep violet. Soon shallow breaths becoming deeper, longer ones as both girls fight their drooping eyelids to try an engrain moments of utter peace between not just them, but the world into their hearts. Moments where they are not Maleficent’s offspring nor the Evil Queen’s second chance, but rather Evie-and-Mal. Moments where it is two friends offering one another the one thing they were denied for years, yet were lucky enough to find despite not being able to identify. Moments, where Evie forgets she is in love with her “straight” best friend, but rather she is in love and maybe, just maybe Mal loves her back which is enough for her to keep going. Moments where two hearts beat as one; where everything and nothing meets in the space between.

 

It is a dangerous game that they play, Evie notes when she wakes up the following morning. Mal’s legs tangled among her own and Evie’s hold on her is quite possessive. A game of cat and mouse, but one where they are both and neither at the same time. Casting a glance at her arms, Evie smiles at Mal’s scrunched up nose.

“Stop starin’,” Mal mumbles, voice groggy. “I can feel it.”

Evie rolls her eyes, laughter building in her throat. Mornings in Auradon are brighter than mornings on the Isle and it is not just due to the sun—the actual sun shining. Rather, it is due to the fact that Evie is not always so on edge every morning. She is still by far not a morning person, but she has come to acknowledge that waking up early is not as terrible as it once was.

“Bring me my coffee and I just might,” Evie quips back watching Mal open one eye to squint at her. “I hope you do realize I am not joking.”

Mal groans at the undertone in the older girl’s voice. She really is not joking and if Mal wants to avoid swats or salty sentences, she should get the other girl coffee.

“Fine, but only because it makes you less wicked and I’m not ready for your complaints.”

Evie grins triumphantly as Mal shimmies out from the covers. They have a routing established ever since Evie switched her schedule. Mal—no matter what—saunters off to the dining hall every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to gather breakfast for herself, Evie, and the boys while Evie showers. When she comes back Evie is often finishing off her makeup and Mal takes the opportunity to bathe as quickly as possible. The boys reach their room by seven ten and together they eat, all at ease. Jay watches Evie as she picks her fruit and reluctantly eats the rest of what is offered and Carlos cleans up. At seven-twenty-five the VK’s slink their way to class—dropping off Evie who always walks in at seven-thirty-two, Shego rolling her eyes at them; and then strolling into Remedial Goodness at seven-thirty-five driving Fairy Godmother insane.

Yet, this time when the four of them are eating breakfast there’s a knock on the door at seven-seventeen. They all freeze and wait with baited breaths.

Mal thinks it is Andrea outside—as the blonde monarch tends to stop by frequently in search of Evie, it annoys her if she is being honest.

Jay also agrees on Andrea observant of how she treats Evie and insistent that Arendelle’s successor strived for more than just friendship. 

Carlos is unsure of who it could be, but his safest bets are on either Jane, Andrea, or Doug. Jane is often around speaking to Mal about her mother’s refusal to use magic. Andrea comes by so that Evie and she can work on homework together. Doug swings by because if Carlos is honest—he is kind of creep; a defenseless, harmless creep, but still a creep. His crush on Evie while understandable is a lot more stalkerish that people would like to admit and if was not for Evie being adept at handling her own situations Carlos would have decked the boy.

Evie for her part raises an eyebrow as no one makes a move to open the door. Her gaze is stern and message is clear; _one of you better open that door before there’s another knock._

Mal sighs as she stands and crosses the threshold of the room to open the door—it’s seven-nineteen.

Prince Ben is on the other side of the door as Mal opens it with a “yes” leaving her tongue.

The three other villain kids’ blink owlishly at the son of Beast and Beauty, all confused but still intrigued towards the conversation between their leader and the Prince. Ben blushes a little bit at the stares and at Mal’s pointed look.

“Good morning,” Ben greets, his voice far too chipper for any teenager in existent. “I just haven’t really seen you in a while. I wanted to make sure you were settling in nicely and wanted to insist and encourage that you try and make it to class on time.”

Mal’s brow raises higher and Ben chuckles nervously.

“You do know that class starts in ten minutes, right?” Mal points out.

Ben’s flustered laugh increases. His hand comes to rub the back of his neck and he nods sheepishly.

“I know,” Ben says after a beat. “I just really wanted to see if you had any questions.”

Mal turns to look at the trio behind her asking silently if anything should be brought up. Jay and Carlos shake their head. Evie bites her lips in hesitation—this is the moment to ask about the coronation. But the bluenette is not blind…she sees the way Ben looks at Mal. It’s the same look Doug and Andrea have for her, the same glance she sometimes sees between Carlos and Jay—or more recently from Carlos towards Jane, the same appearance she sees cross over Audrey’s face when she settles her eyes on Ben, and she knows it is the same expression that paints itself onto her when she thinks of Mal.

 But if this is about Mal then Evie knows this is the moment they were looking for. Mal pleases Maleficent then Mal is free of the burden of the world. If Mal is free then maybe, just maybe she’ll pick her. So Evie does what any person (in love with their best friend) would do, she communicates with Mal through looks and Mal’s smirks at the indication.

“Actually we do have one,” Mal mentions pivoting to face the taller boy. “It’s about Coronation.”

Ben nods and Mal elaborates, her question straight to the point.

“Is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?”

Ben grins, his nod becoming more enthusiastic: “Yeah, the whole school goes.”

Evie watches as Mal’s smirk widens, a false cheer to her tone with the following words: “Whoa that is beyond exciting, do you think that it’s a possibility the four of us could stand in the front row? Next to the Fairy Godmother just so we could soak up all that goodness.”

Jay chuckles from next to Evie at Mal’s last word. Carlos and Evie shoot him a glare to lessen his laugh. All four tuned-in to the Prince’s answer.

“I wish you could.” There’s a pause. “But up front it’s just me, my folks, and my girlfriend.”

Evie’s heart sinks with those words. _Girlfriend?_ Evie is anything, but stupid and so is Mal. So if the only way they will be able to grab the wand is if Ben has a new girlfriend then Evie can kiss (not actually) Mal goodbye. It hast to be Mal. Mal has to be the one to grab the wand. Mal has to become Ben’s new girlfriend and Evie has to pretend that it does not hurt.

Evie is brought out of her thought with the closing of her dorm door. Mal is grinning ear to ear, and while that smile would usually bring a light to Evie’s face all she feels is grim. If Mal notices she pays it no mind as her eyes sparkle with mirth.

“I think it’s time Benny-Boo got himself a new girlfriend,” Mal sings. She points to Carlos. “Spell book. Time for a love spell.”

It is tossed through the air and Evie’s stomach drops further. Mal catches it with ease meeting all their gazes. Her grey-green settle on red-brown and Evie notes a hesitance if only for a moment before the stare is broken and Mal begins to flip through her book. The half-fae paces the room, Carlos returns to scratching Dude, and Jay huffs for a moment retrieving his jersey from the bag.

“Congratulations on making the team,” Evie whispers, once she’s found her voice. She looks over at the taller boy and concern is shared through deep brown eyes. Evie switches her gaze to the window. “I don’t think I fully congratulated you yesterday.”

Jay is not stupid, he’s the oldest teen’s confident—back on the Isle and currently in Auradon. He notices Evie’s stiff posture, downcast voice, and change of subject. They have been through thick and thin together, different from Evie-and-Mal and Carlos-and-Jay. They were friends first (well Jay and Mal were acquaintances when Jay met Evie, if it could be called meeting and not stealing).

Swallowing, Jay chances a look at the clock before his eyes meet Evie’s.

“Thanks,” it comes out with a chuckle, one that paints itself in Jay’s nature. “Hey, so Coach says I need to pass my exam in Language in order to fully play on the team. Can we study later?”

Evie sighs, Jay wants to talk and Evie has no choice, but to cave. Not if she wants to save face and keep this confrontation between just them. The bluenette nods and Jay smiles before turning to the others.

“It’s seven-twenty-eight,” he points out. “We need to move.”

*******

The kitchen is eerily silent when the four of them sneak in after their inflicted curfew of nine at night, the other students having until eleven-thirty (not that this stopped the Rotten Four). Mal’s the one flicking on the lights thanks to her superior eye-sight. Evie worries for a second that she and the boys are beginning to lose their touch—that being in Auradon is lessening their skills. That maybe without intention this place is changing them.

“Jay, get flour and sugar,” Mal orders. “Carlos, eggs and butter. E, you get the bowl and cookie tray, and oven. I got the rest.”

They move effortlessly throughout the kitchen glad that they do not have to snoop courtesy of Auradon labeling everything in the space with a detailed map. Working in silence the boys take a step back as Evie takes the lead (despite the constricting feeling in chest). Mal hovers near the taller girl, reading the recipe out loud so that the blue haired Princess can focus all her attention on the coming together of ingredients.

“Why is Evie cooking when you are the one going to be giving Ben the cookie?” Jay questions, eyebrows knitting as Evie tenses and Mal turns to look at him.

“Cause E is the only one who cooks,” Mal answers quirking a brow. “Who else, you?”

“It’s called baking,” Evie corrects, tone testy and tired—Carlos jolts at the change, but keeps his mouth closed. “Mal would have managed to fuck it up on step two and let’s not even consider that you probably would have added salt instead of sugar and Carlos would have turned it into a tech experiment.”

There are no lies in her words and the room is launched back into a general silence. Jay begins to fiddle with his hands and Carlos glances at the taller boy. They share a silent conversation through looks and Evie inhales silently aware of their gazes on her back. Mal is tapping the counter and Evie is wondering how mad she would be if she messed up the recipe on purpose. Tilting her head towards the half-fae, the Isle Princess’ waits for the next set of instructions.

Mal observes her with a gleam in her orbs that Evie cannot fully decipher, but at the non-impressed look from the older girl, she speaks: “It says that we still need one tear and I never cry.”

Evie stands with a hand on her hip and raises a brow. “Never cry, huh?”

Mal rolls her eyes ready to answer back when Carlos interrupts.

“Let’s just chop up some onions,” he can see how tense Evie is and how thin Mal’s patience is running. Starting a war between both girls at the moment would not result in anything productive.

“That won’t work,” Mal comments, her eyes not leaving Evie’s as she answers. Her gaze flickers a moment later towards the spell book before locking on rich chocolate pools. “It says that we need one tear of _human_ sadness. It can’t be from me, I’m only partially human. This Love Potion gets the best reviews so we have to follow it exactly.”

Evie for her part peers over to make sure Mal read right. A human tear, it is not that it is difficult to find, but one of sadness. Evie’s not sure if she could volunteer one (not that she does not have enough pent up feelings about her best friend).

“A tear’s a tear,” Jay intervenes sensing the gears in Evie’s head turn.

Looking over her shoulder Evie shakes her head. She returns to the task of whisking the dough and explains: “That’s not true, Jay. Emotional and reflex tears both have antienzymes but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear.”

The boys blink and Mal smiles at Evie’s response.

“Listen to you,” Mal compliments checking her hip against Evie’s causing the older girl to bite her lip and smile nervously.

While Auradon might be filled with _goodness_ and a lot of contradictions, Evie and she’s sure the rest of her friends cannot deny that they are a little lighter. That Mal’s compliment was more genuine and less sarcastic that it would have been a month ago. That the quips between the four are less threatening and more joking than they used to be. That Jay is actually excited about playing tourney and belonging to a team besides them four. That Carlos is more relaxed than he was and that Dude is beginning to become part of their family. That Evie feels challenged in her courses and that she engages with others finally able to show her wits and her beauty. That here in Auradon while their fears and traumas follow they seem less threatening. Flinching still occurs at any loud screech and Carlos still shakes in his sleep, but at least he now sleeps. Ruses and sticky-fingers still appeal to Jay and occasionally something swiped will find their way to the VKs, but at least the older boy rests unafraid he is constantly being watched. While jibes and cruel words slip from Mal’s tongue, they have begun to transform to sarcastic tones and less survival instinct hoping to garner Maleficent’s attention. Where food makes Evie’s stomach queasy and the thought of not eating or forcing food out is a better alternative, but she still tries for herself and her friends feeling little weight lift from shoulders of a child ever searching for a Mother’s approval that will never be found.

Evie shakes her head bringing herself back to the present where Lonnie has once again made herself appear.

“… Midnight snack, huh?” How the girl’s voice is so chipper constantly, Evie will never understand. Maybe something in Auradon makes everyone so full of glee because Ben is the same. Jay, Carlos, and Mal look uninterested as Lonnie speaks, but Evie tries to take in everything that is being said. Leaning towards their cookie batter, Mal rushes to cover the recipe with a washcloth at the same time Evie has the same intention. They end up bumping into one another and Evie falls into Mal, the shorter girl’s left arm coming to wrap around Evie’s waist to steady her. Lonnie quirks a brow at their behavior, but her finger comes to swipe a piece of batter as she finishes speaking. “What you guys making?”

 _Mierda._ Evie thinks as she pulls away from Mal a frantic: “Wait, wait, wait,” spilling from her lips. Mal is much of the same, agitated “Oh, no, no!” coming from her own. The boys also jump up to their feet rushing to stop Lonnie from more.

“What?” Lonnie chuckles awkwardly, confused by their behavior, “I’m not gonna double dip.”

Evie shares a look with Mal—the least of their concerns being if Lonnie double-dipped. Mal nods subtly and Evie swallows.

“Do you feel anything?” Evie asks, her gaze analyzing the girl. Her magic pressing against its confined limits in hopes of registering something foreign in the Asian girl’s anatomy.

Lonnie bites her lip at the question and Mal leans towards the taller girl, her hand resting on Evie’s shoulder for assurance. She licks her lips and follows up the bluenette’s question: “Yeah, like maybe something is missing?”

Lonnie’s eyebrows knit and Evie shares a glace with Jay, hinting for him to try anything. Smirking the older boy leans against the counter and in a smooth voice, one that has most girls swooning, says: “Hey there.”

Lonnie chuckles hesitantly and pulls away turning towards the girls.

“It could use some chips.”

“Chips?” Carlos pipes up, “You mean like potato ones.”

Lonnie shakes her head, a genuine laugh leaving her mouth.

“No, silly,” she says. “Chocolate chips.”

Mal lets out a relieved sigh as Lonnie walks over to the fridge. She nudges Evie gesturing back to the dough, Evie shakes her head and continues mixing.

“And those are?” Mal mentions, teeth grinding together.

Lonnie’s voice tilts up as she comes back and dumps the small chocolate bits into the mix ignoring Mal and Evie’s alarmed look: “Just the most important food group. Wait, didn’t your moms ever make you guys like chocolate chip cookies when you’re feeling sad?”

Evie and Mal watch her pour it into the dough, brows furrowed as the other girl keeps speaking.

“And they’re fresh from the oven putting everything in perspective…” Lonnie trails off as she looks around the room. Jay has pulled into himself, Carlos has a blank look in his eyes, Mal is deeply focused on the marble countertop, and Evie—Evie is shaking, hands clenching and unclenching. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Mal snaps out of her trance and in a tired tone: “It’s just different where we’re from.”

Lonnie shrugs and nods. “I mean yeah, I know, I just, you know I thought that even villains love their kids.”

It is not said in a spiteful tone, but it definitely causes the four of them to become defensive. Carlos whimpers, Jay exhales sharply, and Mal flinches.

“Well, you’re wrong,” Evie hisses and Lonnie looks taken aback at the sharp reply. Evie is always sincere in her comments and sometimes they bleed sarcasm, but she has never been apprehensive or aggressive with her.

“Oh,” Lonnie murmurs, not sure what a proper reaction should be. “How awful…”

Her comment is followed by a hitching of breath that when Mal and Evie look up they catch a tear rolling down a differing-toned cheek. Mal catches it on the pad of her thumb, flicking it into the dough as a mask of concern and pep falls into place—Evie takes credit for teaching her how to change her demeanor like that.

“Yeah, well big bummer,” Mal says, wiping her hands on her pants. She pushes off the counter and her hand comes to guide Lonnie not so gently towards the door. “But we have to get these into the oven, so thank you for coming. Evil Dreams!”

The door is practically slammed behind Lonnie not giving the other girl enough time to even properly react.

“That was close,” Carlos whispers once they are sure Lonnie is out of earshot.

“Tell me about it,” Jay sniggers, cut short by Mal’s glare.

“Get the cookie sheet,” Mal orders. “Carlos, the oven. E, we got the actual cookies.”

They move in synchrony through the remaining steps. Evie and Mal rolling the dough into small spheres to then bake. They boys beginning to return the cooking utensils to their place. It tempts the four of them to swipe at the dough, but the underlying threat of what could happen is enough to reel them in and keep their hands to themselves. It does not take long for the air to be wafted in sweet aromas that water at the mouths of the four.

“What are you going to do with the extra cookies?” Jay asks when they pull out both trays of cookies, twenty-four in total.

“Can’t exactly have anyone eating them,” Mal mentions.

“You can’t throw them out,” Carlos points out. “That’s a waste.”

The room is quiet. He has a point, they would have killed for cookies regardless of them being enchanted or not on the Isle. It would be plain disrespectful and would not make them better than any of the Auradon kids.

“E?” Mal questions, turning to the older girl.

Evie bites her lips, the correct thing would be to throw them out. Use one for Ben and the other in places where they could not cause any trouble. Yet, she could use one for Chad—that would save her the trouble. And speaking of trouble—they are still the children of villains, and mischief could be nice to cause in a school filled with goodie-two-shoes.

“What if we have a little fun?” Evie suggests, her gaze flicking to the spell book. She begins skimming the text, flipping pages until she finds another spell. “Obviously, we give Ben one and the rest can be diminished into less potent doses, temporary. We can cause a little mayhem.”

Jay whistles lowly in appreciation, Carlos nods as a smile slips onto his face, and Mal comes to look at the spell a hum of approval falling from her lips.

“Guess the rotten is still in you, Princess,” Mal says, a glint coloring her eyes. “Let’s have some fun then.”

 

 They spend another hour in the kitchen, creating a potion in which they dip the remaining cookies. There is no guarantee that these will work, but none of them are willing to try them. Instead of the twenty-three cookies remaining they split them evenly (well, Mal gets the cookie for Ben already in a separate zip-lock bag and five new ones) six each. The plan is for each one to sneak it in to someone new and see what happens.

It is ten-thirty by the time the four of them reach the girls room. Curfew-curfew starts in half an hour and if Evie is being honest she is tired. But, Jay is shooting her looks and Evie knows there is no avoiding a confrontation from the younger teen.

“Grab your stuff and I’ll meet you at the alcove near the stairs,” Evie says before Jay can open his mouth. Carlos blinks and Mal turns with a raised brow. “He can’t play unless he passes our exam tomorrow.”

Mal nods and turns to look at them. “Alright, game plan for tomorrow: we give Ben the cookie before Mannerisms and Chivalry. The four of us need to contain the situation, understood? No room for mistakes, no room for failure. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Jay salutes mockingly and he nudges Carlos for them to start walking to their dorms. “I’ll see you in five, Evie.”

Mall unlocks the door to their dorm and the girls patter in. They place their cookies on the table and Mal launches herself onto the bed. Evie drops on her own and sighs, rolling her shoulders.

“Be back late, again?” Mal inquires, her question insinuating a repetition of Wednesday night.

“No,” Evie replies, her gaze finding the still face-down mirror. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Good,” Mal says, standing to come in front of Evie. “I need us top game tomorrow.”

“Of course you do,” Evie replies, forcing a chuckle. “We’re a team, right?”

The “right” that Mal repeats feels awkward, yet not to the half-fae, but she suppresses a grimace because Evie’s not wrong.

“You’re my gal, E,” Mal whispers. “I’m counting on you. I always do.”

The sincerity in Mal’s eyes and voice causes Evie to shudder. She wants oh-so-badly to stop their plan, to force Mal to see that tricking Ben is not the answer. That maybe, maybe if she can separate herself from Maleficent that then she will see that Evie has always been there. That Evie is her best friend meant to be more. That Evie has always been her number one fan and deeply in love with her. Briefly, Evie considers slipping Mal one of her cookies—making the other girl experience love momentarily to lead to something greater.

But life is not a fairy tale despite the world they perceive themselves to be in. So Evie nods and swallows, pushing tears back.

“I always got your back, M,” Evie whispers. “I should go, I’ll see you later. Evil dreams, Mal.”

 

“I’m assuming you don’t actually need to study,” Evie mentions as she sees Jay’s silhouette against the window. “Where do you want to talk?”

Jay turns and gives the older girl a once over, a smirk taking over his face.

“Have you explored the roofs, yet, _Amira_?”

 

The wind blows against both Jay and herself. The dark Auradon sky toyed with starts and a partial moon giving all the light they need. Evie grins at the free feeling of running wild—tinkering on the edge of adventure and danger. Jay whoops as he jumps from ledge to ledge between buildings and Evie lets out a carefree laugh as she glides behind him. They’ve stuck to closer building, jumping from rooftop to rooftop of three feet max in distance and nothing between actual buildings.

But Jay is grinning at Evie with a dangerous glint in his gaze—one that she has seen in herself often enough. The jump between the residential building and the science complex is not an easy feat. There is at least six feet of a free-fall between the ledges of both buildings. The fall itself is a good four to five stories high, one wrong move and broken bones would be a lucky get away.

“You’re crazy,” Evie snickers as Jay bounces on his heels.

“Scared?” Jay taunts, taking three strides back. “Wouldn’t blame you, princess. I’ll pass the bridge when I’m over.”

He’s off on a run and Evie watches him soar as he kicks off the buildings ledge and lands with a soft _thud_ on the other rooftop. Jay in action is always a sight, he’s graceful and in his element when his mind is set on a job. She owes him for all the lessons of stealth and aerobics from the Isle—those saved her life more times than she is willing to count.

“C’mon, Evie,” Jay calls, his voice loud enough to carry over to her, but not wake-up or alarm anyone of their presence. Somehow, detention due to late-night stunts does not appeal to either of them. “We haven’t got all night or do you want the bridge?”

Evie rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She gauges the distance of the roof and tests the wind current because she is everything but messy. She takes five steps back and takes a deep breath. She is off on a run, her feet quick and soft, but instead of jumping off the ledge like Jay had, she dives into the ledge and pushes off with her arms. She flips gracefully in the air—a sight to be seen—and tucks herself as her hands hit the rough material of the Science Building’s roof. Her momentum keeps her going and she rolls across her shoulder landing quietly on her feet as she stands.

Jay whistles lowly again and scoffs: “Show-off.”

“Maybe,” Evie taunts, smiling at the rush of adrenaline.

They stroll towards the middle of the roof where Jay takes a seat and Evie plops down next to him. It is silent between them and Evie wonders if it was even worth coming out when she could have been asleep by now.

“What’s eating at you, Evie?” Jay asks, his eyes focused on his twiddling thumbs.

“Couldn’t have picked a better word, Jay,” Evie quips and Jay flushes, uncomfortable. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” the boy defends, and he really had not. It was a slip of the tongue—Jay may be occasionally dense, but Evie’s eating habits were never something to joke about. “You’re not fine.”

“None of us are fine,” Evie relents and Jay huffs.

“Stop it,” Jay growls. “Something is bothering you, Evie. It’s messing with you and if you keep letting it mess with you then it’s not going to end well…for any of us.”

Evie pauses at the frustration in his voice. She turns to look at him, taking her time to take him in. Auradon’s been good to him. His muscles are toning up better than on the Isle—he has food now. His eyes are no longer sunken in; his tangled, dull hair is shining and soft; his gaze while still hard is beginning to warm.

“What if we just stay in Auradon?” Evie whispers, and her gaze turns towards the night sky. “What if we don’t return? Our parents are behind a barrier—they can’t escape. We’re free from them, maybe not safe, but free. We don’t need the wand. We don’t need to steal or find perfect princes. We can just be.”

Jay grunts and this time Evie feels his gaze sweep over her. She is different. Fuller, lighter, happier almost—until this morning at least. Jay searches his brain to what could have caused such a change in his friend.

“It’s Mal,” Jay mentions, replaying Evie’s fallen face when Ben came by earlier in the day. “It’s Ben and Mal, more like Ben with Mal.”

“It’s always been Mal, Jay,” Evie replies and her voice is quiet, so unlike the strong tone Evie commands. Her knees come to be wrapped around her arms and Jay’s heart sinks. She looks small.

“You have feelings for Mal,” Jay says and Evie shudders, tears gathering in red-brown eyes. “It really has always been, Mal, hasn’t it?”

Evie chokes on a sob, but nods. Her throat burns and voice shakes, but still she answers.

“Yeah…since we were little and she wanted to curse me, but then stopped it from happening. Since Uma, since the scare, since all of the shit show that is our life, began.”

Jay is quiet as he takes in everything that Evie said. His arm comes to wrap around the shorter girl and he tucks her into his chest. Evie’s hands latch onto his vest and she stifles a cry. Jay’s arm tightens around her and they sit quietly.

“You don’t want her to spell, Ben,” Jay speaks, his tone soft.

Evie chuckles dryly and makes herself smaller. “Have you seen the way he looks at her? I can’t stand thinking she’d look at him that way.”

“Does she know?”

“Know I care about her like that? Know I love her?” Evie scoffs and shakes her head. “Love is weakness, remember?”

Jay frowns at the venom in the statement. _Love is weakness. Attachment is weakness. There’s no team in I. Survival of the fitness. No room for error. No room for anyone, but yourself._ The rules of the Isle.

“What about Chad?” Not that Jay cares about the boy, but he cares about Evie.

“He’s for Mother,” Evie responds hollowly. “I don’t want him.”

“A means to an end,” Jay points out. “We really are fucked up, aren’t we?”

Evie’s chuckle is just as empty as her previous answer. Jay shudders at the lifeless sound that he was unsure the other girl could produce. His words a repeat of a conversation they shared not so long ago. A memory of a promise they would go to the ends of the earth to keep.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Evie mentions and her red-brown gaze meets a deeper brown. “You can’t tell Mal or Carlos or anyone about it.”

Jay hesitates for a second because while they keep secrets from one another it is rare for them to keep it from just two of the group. Because the secrets Jay-and-Evie share are dark, twisted, deep—secrets that could cost them Mal and Carlos. Secrets that paint them as villains without redemption. He nods not trusting his voice.

“I have magic.”

Three words and they tilt Jay off his axis. They make the world stop. Three words and his breath is robbed from his lungs. Three words and Jay is launched back to the past, recalling a scared thirteen year old girl…

*******

_Three Years Ago, The Isle of the Lost_

The streets are dark and chill of the breeze ices over the streets. November is a gloomy time of the year, not that the Isle ever receives sunlight and warmth typically. Dragon Hall hovers in the backdrop; four kids scrambling away from a brawl that had broken out no thanks to the educators. Carlos, Evie, Jay, and Mal are racing away from the school. Their fingers are all numb from the cold and their faces bright red from the sting.

 Carlos is the quickest on his feet, clambering away from Gaston’s three sons—his white hair fades from Evie’s eyesight. He’ll be okay, he’ll outrun them, he (almost) always does.

Mal is ahead of her—the second fastest of their group—her purple hair is skewed up in different directions, she’s cackling as Clayton’s son—Clay, who fumes at her. Smirking at Jay and Evie, Mal salutes jumping down the sewer a rabid Clay on her heels.

Jay chuckles besides her and Evie wonders how they all can seem to run effortlessly while she struggles to catch her breath. She really should up her cardio, take training more seriously with Jay, ask Mal to take her on the streets more often, come up with better escape roots alongside Carlos.

“See you on the other side, Princess,” Jay calls out, jumping up to grab onto the fire escape of the nearby building. Evie rolls her eyes, gaze straight ahead while she hears Jay taunting CJ Hook and her current boyfriend Hans Jr. “Hey assholes, I’m over here.”

It really is a cold pre-winter and her thirteen-year old self is resenting the fact that Mother took away her coat because it made her ‘unattractive’. The streets have already received dirty mush that have iced the dirt. And her small heels are unpractical, she skids and slides groaning at the fact that she will not be eating dinner with the stroke of mud up her thigh. Her small slip-up has caused for her foes to gain on her—Antoine Tremaine, Harry Hook, and Jeremiah Medusa. Evie curses at herself when she turns a corner prematurely launching her into a dead-end street. The walls have no fire escapes for her to climb up on and the wooden fence behind her stops people from falling into a luminous hole. Evie will rather take her chances with the three older boys than either encounter a standoff with Scar, the Hyenas, or the Queen of Hearts.

“Well, well, boys,” Antoine heckles, closing in on the girl, Harry to his left and Jeramiah on his right. “Looks like we finally caught the Princess herself. How does it feel being free?”

Evie raises her gaze and swallows—everyone knew about the Evil Queen’s banishment for not inviting Maleficent’s child to her daughter’s birthday party. Just like everyone knew that Evie was now a part of Mal’s crew as the half-fae had claimed her publically a little bit over two years ago.

“As if you’ll ever know,” Evie spits, watching Antoine’s eyes narrow.

“Listen now, _slut_ ,” Antoine hisses and his figure towers over Evie’s. “No one speaks to me that way, especially not you.”

“Or what?”

She really should have thought better than to take his bait. It becomes a blur for Evie, Jeramiah is the first to move grabbing onto the Evie’s arms making sure she cannot move them. With a jerk of his head Antoine sees to it that Harry stands guard at the edge of the alley, while he himself comes closer to Evie and pinches her chin between his fingers.

“You could always do worse than a duke,” Antoine bites, as he flicks his hand and unbuttons Evie’s thin cloak letting it fall to the floor. He leans in and roughly pushes his lips against the younger girl’s. Evie gasps in disgust and tries to bite his lip only causing Antoine to grin and force his tongue into her mouth. There’s not much Evie can do and she struggles to break free, tears prickling her eyes, and sobs racking her body as Antoine moves his hand to her skirt ripping it down.

Rape. It is not uncommon on the Isle.

Rape. Mostly every girl on the Isle experiences it.

Rape. Mother had warned her about it.

Rape. Fuck, Evie really thought it would never happen to her.

The feeling of Antoine’s hand on her bare thigh breaks through Evie’s blocking out of the events. She bites harder onto Antoine’s mouth and the boy hisses back in anger.

“You bitch,” Antoine spits, blood leaking from his lip.

“Let me go,” Evie shouts, hoping to draw attention. Begging against all odds that Mal, Jay, or Carlos will hear her. “I’ll show what a real bitch I am.”

“She’ll be good in the sack,” Jeramiah chortles, and Antoine pauses. “When she’s older of course. She’s a punk, now, Antoine. I say we ditch her.”

Harry hums in agreement from behind and cowers when he hears a salty voice scream his name. _“HARRY!”_

The voice is unmistakable and Evie never thought she would be relieved to hear Uma’s voice echo across the Isle. It does not take long for Ursula’s daughter to stomp her way into an apologizing Harry. Struggling in her hold, Evie kicks back causing Jeremiah to hiss in pain and for Antoine to pay attention once more on the blue-haired child. His hand returns to inching its closer to Evie’s panties when Uma’s gaze lands on Evie. They are by no means friends—the Sea Witch’s daughter hates Mal and her crew, but the look of understanding passing brown eyes halts her.

“Tremaine,” Uma growls, her voice becoming unmistakably low. “Let her go.”

“She’s mine,” Antoine argues, his hand ceasing for a moment. “Scram.”

“If Mal finds her, you’re dead,” Uma mentions pulling out her pistol and polishing it. “Let her go.”

“You don’t even like her,” Jeremiah chimes in and Uma’s eyes glower as she raises the pistol in his direction.

“Care to join your father at the bottom of the ocean,” Uma spits, and she clicks the safety off. “Or would you rather help mother dearest find diamonds.”

Jeremiah swallows as he lets go of Evie’s arms. Quickly, she stumbles up to her feet only for Antoine to turn around and slap her, knocking Evie’s head against the floor. He turns his eyes glaring at Uma.

“This isn’t over,” Antoine snarls stomping away with Jeremiah next to him. “And you,” he points at Harry. “Forget about any alliance. Stay out of my way Hook or your sister will be next.”

A dangerous gleam passes in Harry’s eyes, but a sharp _Harry_ from Uma stops him. The two older boys walk away and Uma stores her pistol turning to look at Evie.

“I didn’t save you, Princess,” Uma mentions, stepping closer to Evie who’s swaying on her feet holding her head. “Scum like him doesn’t deserve anyone… You’ll owe me, now.”

Evie narrows her eyes, uncaring of the pain in her scalp.

“Fine,” Evie says, her tone is even and spots begin to appear in her vision. “What do you want?”

“Oh you’ll see, Princess,” Uma chuckles, leveling eyesight, she shoulder checks Evie and the blue haired girl grunts in pain as Uma walks away. “Pull up your skirt, gossip will get around to the Queen herself soon. Imagine what the town will sing with now, Your Majesty.”

Evie stands firm until Uma and Harry disappear. She whimpers as she slides into a corner of the alleyway away from people’s sight. Her head pounds, a small trickle of blood from a split lip, her forearms have imprints of fingers and her stockings are ripped with her skirt barely holding together. She shakes uncontrollably and a cry so heart wrenching leaves her lips in a muffled sob. She’s thirteen and alone and broken. And while Antoine didn’t manage to break her completely he came close.

She does not know how long she is there for. Her vision turns to black a couple of times, but Evie is not stupid, falling asleep is the worst thing she could do in her condition. But her legs are jelly and she cannot walk or even contemplate moving. At some point the afternoon has given way to dark night and Evie shudders cold and mind hardened.

There’s a scuffle at the edge of the alleyway and Evie tenses. Her hand reaches across the floor wrapping itself against a piece of broken glass. She holds her breath and wipes a blank slate for her look. Her eyes narrow and the pounding in her head has lessened, but she refuses to move she does not have the upper hand.

“ _Amira?_ ” Jay gasps, landing softly in front of Evie.

Evie groans to herself forgetting to check above for any signs of danger. She could have easily been attacked. But Jay is looking at her and his gaze goes from soft to hard as he takes in her ripped stockings and barely there skirt.

“What happened?” Jay snarls, and Evie cowers for a second recalling Antoine’s voice. But she closes her eyes and remembers that Uma stopped him. That the boy in front of her is Jay not Antoine. A soft, hesitant hand raises her chin and she opens her eyes meeting her friend’s. “Evie?”

“Nothing,” Evie chokes as she struggles to breathe. Jay softens even more at the blatant lie and his crouches even lower. He staggers back as Evie launches herself into his chest. She gasps for breath and Jay carefully wraps her arms around her.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Jay whispers. “I got you.”

They don’t speak about what happened. They sit quietly and wait, reassurances spilling from Jay’s lips. When Evie finally cries herself dry, she stands and Jay rises with her. There’s a silent question on his lips, but Evie shakes her head. They walk silently back to Evie’s home, away from their space where Mal is no doubt pacing and Carlos is tinkering.

“What should I say?” Jay asks, as the Evil Queen’s castle comes into view.

“Nothing, Jay,” Evie mentions as they reach the door to her castle. “I promise that later I’ll explain, but just you.”

She does eventually. Two months later to be exact. Jeremiah never walks the same again, his shin broken at such an angle that total recuperation is not possible. Antoine develops a nasty cough that leaves his voice raspy in a tone that makes it seems he’s dying of a disease. Jay knows its Evie’s doing that Tremaine went from the hottest boy on the Isle to no one wanting anything serious due to his condition. Just like Evie knows that is Jay’s work that tore down one of the slinkiest teenagers making him easy bait.

Jay and Evie keep what happens a secret. Mal does not ask for details, but she does notice how Evie changed after that day in November. Carlos, decides it’s better to just observe and not say anything. Subconsciously or not, they begin to travel as a pack more often than before not risking anything any longer.

*******

_Less than Two-and-Half Months Prior to Coronation_

Evie stares distractedly at her notebook, her hands fidget with the bag of cookies. Her thoughts are working a mile a minute. Her mind flashing back to last night where Jay had nodded and held her before calling it a night. Saying that he needed space to think so that they could process what came next. The bell rings and Andrea quirks a brow as Evie stands and they make their way out of study hall and towards their next classes. The blonde clears her throat for the third time and Evie blushes a as she turns to look at her a small “sorry” falling from pink lips.

 “So there’s a tourney game on Friday,” Andrea comments as they walk towards Evie and Mal’s history class.

“You mean today?’ Evie points out and from the corner of her eye she watches the blonde rub the back of her neck.

“Yeah…and I heard that Jay made the team, Carlos too,” Andrea mentions, they come to a stop at the end of the hall. “And I was wondering if you wanted to you know, come to the game with me…it won’t just be me. It’ll be Lonnie, Skyla, Merrick, Elliot, Anthony, and I too…but if you enjoy it then maybe you can come to the girls’ soccer game tomorrow?”

It is a very longwinded question and Evie finds herself split for a second. She thinks it is endearing, cute even, but she also knows that Andrea is a lot more invested in her than she is. The other part is that Mal needs her later today. She has a mission. Andrea is not part of the mission at all. Evie has no time to waste and a minuscule part of herself does not want to involve Andrea. Instead, Evie analyzes the girl and takes a step closer.

“Are you asking me out?” Evie states, her hand curling on Andrea’s upper arm.

“That depends,” Andrea chuckles, hesitantly. “On if the answer is yes or no.”

Evie chuckles and her hand drops. The bell rings again and Evie turns catching Mal’s eye from afar. There is a perplexed look on the purplette’s face and Evie’s stomach lurches at the haze in her friend’s eyes. Andrea coughs nervously and red-brown eyes flicker back to her.

“Let’s see how the game goes today,” Evie answers, lightly—non-committedly, her eyes locking on grey-green instead of azure. “And we’ll see.”

Andrea nods. “I’ll see you later then?”

“Andrea, wait,” Evie calls out and her hand reaches in for the bag of cookies keeping two to herself. “Split them with friends, they were left over from last night.”

The Princess eyes them cautiously, but grabs the bag and nods again. The warning bell rings and Andrea curses lightly under her breath as she dashes away shooting a small smile towards Evie. “Later, Blue!”

“Blue?” Evie mouths as she walks closer to Mal who is waiting for her expectantly.

She could deal with that, grow to like it even. _Blue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scheiße – shit in German.  
> Puta Madre – mother fucker in Spanish.   
> Mierda – shit in Spanish.  
> Jeremaih Medusa is Madame Medusa’s son from The Rescuers film. He’s an original character for the purposes of the scene.


	6. So I'm a Flirt?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There’s nothing wrong with being fashionably late,” Evie says, coming over to straighten Mal’s dark purple jacket. Giving Mal a onceover, Evie thanks whoever invented skinny jeans—the dark forest green paired with a black tank top gives Mal the perfect look of forbidden fruit. “You look cute.”  
> “Just cute?” Mal chuckles, tilting her head up—despite wearing heeled sneakers, Evie’s heels brought the girls back to their original height difference.  
> Evie winks and Jay coughs in the background, but grey-green and red-brown stare intently at one another. Breaking eye-contact Evie smirks once again and murmurs just low enough for Mal to hear: “Definitely more than just cute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely did not mean for this to take as long as it did. However, to make up for it this chapter is extremely long, with a lot of Mal and Evie interaction and Evie and Andrea interaction. It takes place over essentially 24 hours.   
> I apologize for any mistakes, but please let me know what you thought. Again I apologize for how long this took.

_Less Than Two-and-Half Months Prior to Coronation_

Her stomach is queasy, more so than usual. Fingers toy with the edges of her cutlery as she pushes food around her plate, occasionally bringing something up to her mouth. She wants to spit it out the moment it hits her tongue, but instead she forces a swallow. Wiping away a grimace as nutrients hit the back of her throat and slink their way into her stomach. Hesitantly, she reaches for a glass of water and chugs it lightly hoping to wash away the bitter-taste of bile rising up from her stomach.

“Evie,” Carlos calls out, snapping his fingers in front of the oldest teen’s face.

Evie blinks. She sets down her fork and blushes as she notices that Jay’s brows are furrowed in concern; Carlos is pale, worry evident in his eyes; and Mal is looking at her in a torn matter, unsure of what to do.

“Sorry,” Evie mumbles, grabbing at her napkin and dabbing her lips. “Distracted, what were you saying?”

“You need to focus, E,” Mal comments, her tone sharp, but eyes soft. “Ben, Audrey, and Chad almost always leave together, but Ben always makes a pit stop at his locker. That’s when we fall into play…”

Evie nods, half-listening as Mal runs through the plan. The sinking feeling in her abdomen seeming to double as the purple haired girl continues to speak. Evie’s red-brown eyes gaze at her half eaten plate and she can feel Jay and Carlos’ stares. Not wanting to, Evie takes a bite if only to appease her tablemates. Eating is never easy for her, especially in public, but lately it seems to be getting worse and Evie knows the other three have noticed. Half-heartedly, Evie offers a smile to the boys and Carlos seems to perk at it sliding a small portion of the cheesecake he had grabbed to the middle of the table. The corner of Evie’s lips tilt down as she swipes a piece of the cake and brings it to her mouth. It smells good and it tastes amazing, but those two things do not cancel out the guilt or disgust Evie feels when the nourishment is swallowed. Jay sighs and pushes a second glass of water in front of the Princess. Evie cringes at it, but nods in gratitude regardless—she really loathes meal times in Auradon.

The bell rings and Evie is thankful that the dreaded hour has come to an end. She’s the first one on her feet, grabbing her tray ready to drop it off at the cleanup station. She ignores Jay’s silent huff, Carlos’ swipe of food for later, and Mal’s biting of her lip—all three noticed that she barely ate. It’s fine, Evie thinks, she’ll make up for it later during dinner. She’s just nervous with the whole spelling Ben and watching the girl she is in love with have a new boyfriend.

Evie’s magic flares at the turmoil of emotions and it takes all her self-control to make sure she will not do something she regrets. Having magic is proving to be more work that she had counted on.

“Can you stop gawking,” Evie sighs, as the quartet slip out of the cafeteria. “I’ll eat at dinner, I promise.”

“Will you though?” Mal questions, crossing her arms as they walk. “You’ve barely eaten these past days, Evie.”

“I know, _Mal_ ,” Evie hisses, pinching the bridge of her nose—she really did not mean for her words to be said with (that) much aggression. “It’s been a long couple of days. I said I’ll eat tonight.”

Mal’s eyes narrow, mouth open ready to reply when Carlos shakes his head pulling the purple-locked girl back.

“Promise, Evie?” Carlos asks, nodding to Jay to step between both girls.

Evie wants to throw her hands up in the air. Does no one listen to her? Frustrated, she echoes her prior response: “Yes, I promise.”

“I’ll make your plate, then,” Jay cuts in and Evie wants to argue, but they are already outside and from the corner of their eyes they all can see the famous trio (Audrey, Ben, and Chad) exit, Chad breaking free from the duo after exchanging a couple of words.

“Fine,” Evie states, knowing she is outnumbered. “Mal, your target.”

It does not escape the smaller girl that Evie blatantly ignores her.

 

“Are you going to tell me what’s up?” Carlos questions as the pair lean against the handrail of the school watching Mal and Jay banter. “Tell any of us?”

The pair wait as instructed through their plan of attack consisting of Mal hanging by her locker, Jay coming in as back up while Evie and Carlos mill around in the background. When Ben is alone then Mal will offer the cookie. Everything after is up for grabs.

Evie turns to look at the younger boy, giving him a once over. She can see how Auradon is changing him. Gone is the constant heaviness on his shoulder, the burden that makes Carlos want to jump. He’s gaining weight, his clothes no longer hanging off his frame completely. And Dude, Dude is making Carlos come out of his shell—allowing for the boy who was once terrified of dogs to change his mind. The smile that comes across his face is no longer just callous, but maybe even happy. It surprises Evie and yet, it does not that he is the one that has adapted the quickest to Auradon. Because if Evie is being honest, it may seem like she is, but she mastered the act of deceit from the moment she began to talk.

“What’s there to tell?” Evie comments, her arms coming to cross against her chest. She hones in to hear her friend’s conversation, aware Carlos is still looking at her—thinking over her choice of words. Meanwhile, Jay is slumping against the lockers, mouth moving while Mal is storing things in her locker retrieving the treasured cookie.

_“I mean it’s not so bad here, you know?”_

Evie snorts at Jay’s statement, well aware it echoed what she had shared in secrecy with the taller boy the previous night. Carlos furrows his brow and scratches behind Dude’s ear.

“Carlos,” Evie sighs, gaze snapping back to the younger boy. “I’m stressed, that’s it.”

The white haired boy shakes his head knowing that there is more to Evie’s tone than she wants to let on. He’ll respect her, though, and let it slide in the meantime.

“Do you think that she actually cares for Ben?” Carlos asks, gesturing vaguely towards Audrey and Ben that have come closer to Mal and Jay. “Do you think she’s in it for the crown?”

Evie bites her lip as she turns to gaze at the ‘royal’ couple. She wants to say Audrey is. That she is shallow, self-conceited, manipulative, etc. but the Audrey she has been privy to, is not like that. Audrey is calculative, sharp, straightforward, but she is also kind (to those she cares about), passionate, driven, and despite all her flaws she is not as naïve as the villain kids’ had originally painted her out to be.

“She does,” Evie answers, and she finds herself mildly surprised at the honesty in her tone. “She loves him, even. I just don’t think Ben knows how much she cares. I don’t think she realizes the full extent of her feelings.”

And Evie actually believes her analysis of their relationship. She really does. At the thought, the bluenette shudders because it strikes her why her interpretation of Audrey is spot on. It is because Audrey is her, Audrey is Evie or where Evie stood a couple of years back when she was processing the amount of emotions she held for Mal. Audrey is the friend in love, head over heels type feelings for Ben…but Ben, Ben is Mal. Ben is unaware and in some ways unworthy of the care Audrey feels.

“That’s deep, Evie,” Carlos says, tilting his head as Audrey leans in to kiss Ben’s cheek—sauntering off towards Andrea, Tessa, and Skyla. “I almost feel bad that Mal is using Ben.”

“Me too,” Evie whispers, pushing off the handrail as Ben approaches Mal. “She’s going to be an even bigger pain in the ass, now. Time to move, you get Mal’s left, I got her right. ”

Carlos nods and they inch closer to the pair, both paying attention to the conversation playing out.

“Hey Benny-Boo,” Mal teases, Carlos and Evie snickering at the nickname. “I just made a batch of cookies.”

“Oh hey,” Ben greets smiling shyly and running a hand through his hair—could he be more stereotypical.

Mal grins and Evie’s stomach churns. “Double-chocolate chip, do you want one?”

For someone raised among royalty and as future King-to-be, Ben is missing in the manners and eloquence department. His stammering of an answer sounds more alike to Harry’s stumbling of words. _Maybe a little harsh_. If he was not acting this way with Mal, then maybe Evie would find his attitude charming.

“Oh, I, uh, I’ve got a big game. I don’t eat before a game, ever. But thank you so, so much, thank you. Next time?” Ben finishes with a small smile.

Jay shoots Evie a worried look sensing that convincing the Prince will not be as easy as they had assumed. Evie shakes her head, telling him to give Mal a little more credit. And Mal pulls through, voice dropping with conviction.

“No, yeah…” Mal trails, off running her fingers against the zip-lock bag. “I completely understand. ‘Be careful of treats offered by kids of villains.’”

Evie wonders briefly if the cookies they intend to give out will receive such hesitation. Guilt churns in her stomach briefly at the fact that Andrea now has four cookies.

A nudge from Carlos brings Evie back to Mal and Ben’s conversation, questions swirling in his own eyes.

“You’re cautious, that’s smart. Oh well, more for me I guess,” Mal says reaching into the bag for the cookie. Ben intercepts it, wrapping his hand around Mal’s wrist.

“Wait, no hey, see that?” Ben interrupts as he bites the cookie. “Totally trust you.”

The smile he shoots Mal makes Evie want to throw up. The (fake) concern leaving Mal’s lips only urges on the feeling further.

“How are they?” The half-fae’s hand coming to land on Ben’s upper arm.

The Prince’s answer seems to come in bits. The blue of his eyes dimming before being glazed over by what seems to be a purple fog that fades. Carlos, Evie, Jay, and Mal lean in containing the situation that plays itself out.

“They’re good. They’re great. They’re amazing…they’re, uh, they’re, uh…they’re—you’re great, Mal,” Ben stammers, not quite being able to form his sentences or thoughts. “I’m sorry, um, the cookies the chips…they’re warm and soft. They’re sweet.”

Mal smirks and tilts her head—her silent cue for Jay to approach from behind Ben. Carlos and Evie coming to surround him on the sides too, briefly Mal and Evie’s hands brush sending sparks up both their arms. Grey-green meets red-brown and Mal quirks a brow, but Evie shakes her head, flicking her gaze towards Ben—they could always talk later. 

“Hey, umm, Mal,” Ben sighs, his voice taking on a dreamy register. “Have you always had those little golden flecks in your eyes?”

Evie gags _. Is he for real?_ She has noticed the specks in Mal’s eyes, even before coming to Auradon. She notices everything about Mal. Jay shoots Evie another look and the older girl narrows her gaze; now is not the time to ponder this. Ben goes for another bite but Mal snatches the cookie away and Evie exhales softly unaware she was holding her breath. Nodding towards Jay, the taller boy comes around slinging his arm around Ben’s shoulder.

“How you feeling, bro?” Jay taunts, sidling on Ben’s left. Carlos snorts and Evie shakes her head, but a sharp glare from Mal shuts the younger boy up.

Ben grins and he turns to look at Jay before looking at Mal. His speech rises drawing attention from their peers as he answers: “I feel, I feel, I feel like singing your name?”

And he does just that, he opens his mouth and sings Mal’s name. Jay’s jaw actually drops and Carlos blinks. Mal looks uncomfortable and squirms in her stance. Evie cannot believe the nerve of the boy— _what the hell were in those cookies?_ From the corner of her eye, Evie can see Audrey and Andrea turning to look at the commotion of Ben’s voice, Tessa and Skyla sporting confused gazes. She feels momentarily bad for the hurt flashing through Audrey’s gaze, but skillfully she blocks Ben’s singing with her hand. Mal shoots her an appreciative glance and takes control of the situation.

“Let’s not do that,” Mal states, crossing her arms as Evie removes her hand from the boy’s mouth. “ _Ever._ ”

“Anything you want, Mal,” Ben grins.

Evie rolls her eyes and ignores the pang in her chest. She listens as Mal keeps talking with Ben, but her mind is working a mile a minute. Carlos and Jay both look at her, but Evie pays it no mind. Her phone buzzes and Evie excuses herself missing the way Mal furrows her brow as she slips away.

**_What was that about? – Arendelle_ **

Evie cries internally aware azure eyes are looking in their direction. She glances up and crosses eye-sight with the group of four girls. She smiles and shrugs typing out a reply: **_Don’t worry about it, just wishing Ben good luck for the game. We’re still on, right?_**

The Arendelle Princess glances down at her own phone chewing her bottom lip. Evie tenses as she notices that the other girl is not buying her story completely. She’ll need to up her game—play a little dirty. Evie’s magic flares at the idea of coming out and being used.

A headache spurs at the edge of her mind and Evie pushes back the thoughts of what Andrea being suspicious could mean. The two cookies in Evie’s bag seem to weigh even more and she bites her lip. She could…she could give a cookie to Andrea, make the feelings the Princess already has more prominent. It would solve a lot of issues. The blue haired girl ignores the fact that, that idea settles uncomfortably in her stomach.

Groaning as the bell rings, Evie realizes that living in ignorance really is bliss.

 

 

“So we’re going to the game?” Mal questions, the bell signaling the end of classes ringing behind her. She patiently waits while Evie stores her books in her locker. They end up walking in par, as they follow a big percentage of the school population outside.

“Yes, Mal, we are,” Evie replies, linking their arms together as they descend the stairs towards the tourney field.

“Why?” Mal whines, quietly watching as students gather and split into seats the closer they get to the stands.

“Your _boyfriend_ is the captain remember,” Evie says and she does her best to real in the tone of disdain. “Jay and Carlos are part of the team too.”

“Are we sure it’s not because Arendelle invited you to sit with her,” Mal grumbles crossing her arms.

Evie’s brows furrow at the words. She turns to look at the purple haired girl, but Mal’s eyes stare at the ground while her boot scuffs the dirt.

“Are you jealous?” Evie asks hearing Mal scoff. “She’s a Princess, Mal.”

“So?” Mal counters, her eyes meeting Evie’s. “You are too.”

Evie shakes her head. “You are being ridiculous.”

“Right,” Mal states, gaze sweeping over the stands. She sees Lonnie waving at them signaling towards to empty spots on her left. The half-fae groans as she notices that Andrea and her group of friends are also in the same vicinity.

“You can at least pretend that you’ll have a good time,” Evie comments, as they begin to climb their way up to the others.

“And why would I do that?” Mal mocks, plastering on a grin to save face. Evie turns around and Mal bumps into her, eyes narrow into a glare. “What the hell, E?”

“I promise I’ll make it worth your while, later,” Evie answers, voice dropping into a rasp. “Now, try and have a good time. These things are supposed to be fun.”

Giving it no apparent thought Evie turns and Mal gapes at her.

Biting the inside of her cheek Evie ponders on her actions… _What the fuck was that Evie_? Not wanting to seem that she acted out of character Evie’s glad that they make it up to their awaiting seats. The blue haired girl nods towards Lonnie, pulling Mal along behind her; she half waves to the rest of the group: Elliot, Leonie, and Merrick sit in the row below them, while Anthony, Tessa, and Skyla sit above them.

“Looks like you made it,” Andrea greets, scooting over as Evie sits next to her. “Hello Mal, I see Blue brought you along.”

Mal shakes her head storing her interaction with Evie to analyze later and turns to meet azure eyes.

“Andrea,” Mal replies, tone even. “Yeah, something like that.”

Andrea takes it to mean that that’s all Mal wants to speak to her about. Evie offers up a slight apologetic smile.

“You excited?” Andrea asks, taking Mal in stride, her attention returning to Evie.

“Please,” Skyla interrupts, leaning forward from her seat, upper body placing itself between Evie and Andrea’s shoulders. “I give her ten minutes before she’s bored out of her mind.”

“The team’s not that bad, Sky,” Tessa comments and Anthony snorts from beside her.

“Tessa,” Anthony chuckles joining in on the conversation. “Our tourney team sucks.”

“You’re telling me,” Mal adds her two cents, “that there’s something not perfect about Auradon?”

Evie laughs from beside her best friend and unconsciously places her hand on Mal’s thigh.

“Something along those lines,” Andrea says, frowning slightly at the ease between Mal and Evie. “But you know it’s all about supporting one another here.”

“Support?” Evie echoes, not entirely sure about the surrounding group.

“It’s an unspoken rule,” Andrea explains, using her hand to gesture to her friends. “The sports team come out to support one another, cheer each other on and everything.”

“You guys all play for a team?” Mal interjects, looking over all of them.

“Almost all of us,” Skyla answers this time. “Tes, Andrea and I all play on the girls’ soccer team. Anthony and Merrick are part of the boys’ soccer team, and Lonnie was a cheerleader at one point, right?”

“It wasn’t really my thing,” Lonnie summarizes when Evie and Mal look at her. “Audrey runs us dry.”

“Not like these two are much better,” Tessa huffs pointing at Andrea and Skyla. “Training with Uncle Phil seems like child’s play compared to them.”

“We’re not that bad,” Skyla whines at the same time Andrea exclaims: “Hey! Take that back.”

“Anyway, Evie,” Lonnie continues on ignoring the trio’s dispute. “I heard Coach Nakoma asked if you wanted to play for the team.”

“She did what now?” Mal interrupts.

“Yeah,” Lonnie keeps going, “I heard that she also wanted you on the team, Mal.”

“Wait what?” Mal comments, turning to look at Evie.

Evie rolls her eyes and squeezes Mal’s knee, _calm down._

“She did,” Evie replies, meeting grey-green. “I told her I’d consider it for the future, but I think Auradon Economics and Diplomacy and Law are more than enough filler activities for the time being. Shego might not be a coach or athlete, but the amount of work she gives is enough to train me for swimming in paper.”

“It still blows my mind that you call her Shego,” Tessa comments, recalling the amount of times Evie has referred to Ms. Ogeh’s by her first name.

“Why?” Mal asks, genuinely not understanding why they were surprised. “It’s her name.”

“Yeah, but she’s a teacher,” Leonie comments and the two girls look down to the younger girl. “Didn’t you guys address your teachers back on the Isle by their last name?”

Mal and Evie share another look between them and Evie shrugs.

“Education wasn’t a priority on the Isle,” Evie says. “The few ‘teachers’ that were there didn’t really care about their last names. They were too focused on spreading fear and fear came hand in hand with a threatening name.”

They settle into a silence after Evie’s answer, none really sure how they should react. The silence does not last long because their conversation comes to an end just when the horn for the beginning of the game goes off.

Skyla was wrong it takes Mal seven minutes to lose interest in the game especially because neither Jay nor Carlos are playing. Evie lasts eight minutes longer and she turns to face Andrea after fifteen uninterested in what was happening on the pitch.

“These games go on for how long?” Evie questions, leaning closer to Andrea due to the noise.

“Bored already?” Andrea chuckles, pointing towards the scoreboard. “They play four quarters, each lasting twenty minutes. So they have about four minutes left before a five minute break and quarter two starts. The get ten minutes during half-time, but sometimes these games can last an hour and a half.”

“You’re telling me we have to wait at least an hour watching Auradon try to score when they can barely make it through the kill zone?” Evie groans seeing another fail at making it past the other team’s defense.

“Unfortunately, yes, more or less,” Andrea laughs, but pulls out the bag with cookies Evie has gifted her earlier. “Want one?”

Evie’s eyes widen in surprise at the treats and shakes her head gesturing towards her bag.

“I’m good,” it is followed by a halted chuckle. “I have a couple for myself.”

“You sure?” Andrea mentions, grabbing one and passing the bag to the Anthony, Tessa, and Skyla behind her. “They look pretty tempting.”

“I’m sure,” Evie swallows, and she is unsure why her palms start to sweat when Andrea takes a bite of the ‘enhanced’ cookie. The blonde hums in appreciation and closes her eyes momentarily. Evie internally cringes when Andrea’s tongue comes to swipe at some of the crumbs on her lip. “You okay?”

Andrea’s eyes snap open and she blushes: “Yes, sorry…I don’t tend to indulge in cookies or sweets often, so they always take me by surprise. These are really good, by the way.”

Exhaling a breath she was unaware she was holding, Evie relaxes at the fact that there is no visible change in Andrea’s behavior.

“Umm,” Evie stutters, unsure what should be her appropriate reaction to the failure of magic. “Thanks?”

Andrea laughs goodheartedly at Evie’s hesitance and takes another bite of the cookie. Behind her, Evie can hear Anthony, Tess, and Skyla each enjoying their own cookies. A nudge from Evie’s right has the bluenette turning to come face to face with Mal.

“Are those?” Mal questions, voice a murmur lost in the crowd; the buzzer going off ending the first quarter of the game.

Evie nods subtly and pulls out the remaining two cookies from her bag. Mal does the same with the modified five she had.

“You gave one to Andrea?” Mal hisses, smiling at Lonnie who looks at them in confusion.

“I thought she had already eaten it,” Evie defends, voice low and rumbling. “How was I supposed to know she would pull them out here?”

“And what was her reaction?” Mal bites, sitting up forgetting about the cookies in her hand.

“None,” Evie replies, brows furrowing. “Literally, nothing—not like Ben at least.”

Mal’s eyebrow raises in confusion and she opens her mouth, but Lonnie is reaching across Mal’s lap towards the bag of uneaten cookies, a look of excitement on her face.

“Are those from last night,” Lonnie chirps, grabbing the see-through bag. “Mind if we share?”

Evie and Mal panic, both wanting to snatch the bag back, but Leonie, Elliot, and Merrick have turned towards the Asian girl.

“Are those chocolate-chip?” Leonie questions, eyes sparkling.

“Mhm,” Lonnie grins, taking a bite of one and handing out the rest.

“And we’re the savages,” Mal grumbles. It takes all Evie has not to laugh, but she wants to because it is funny, but also because she’s freaking out like crazy. Mal’s not fairing any better, but she smiles awkwardly as Leonie, Elliot, and Merrick all take one.

“Here,” Lonnie mentions giving the bag back. “You guys should eat one too.”

“Umm…we’re good,” Mal stammers and Evie nods rubbing her stomach. “We ate too much at lunch, but maybe later.”

“More for us then,” Lonnie states, taking another bite of her cookie and saving the one she hadn’t eaten—Mal makes sure she’s out of Lonnie’s eye-sight as she eats, pulling Evie back too. But the Asian girl is too preoccupied gazing at the bench towards Carlos, Jay, and Chad who are currently all benched as the horn for the second quarter rings.

“What are we going to do?” Mal whispers, glad that there’s too much noise and that the crew of friends is happily munching on their delicious snacks when she turns towards Evie.

“Maybe nothing will happen,” Evie replies, voice equally as soft in fear of getting caught. Her red-brown survey the three students behind them and then sweep to the three in front, casting a glance at Lonnie and then shooting a small smile towards Andrea. “Andrea was looking at me when she ate hers. She’s still her maybe nothing will transpire.”

“Her mom has magic, E,” Mal hisses, stashing away Evie’s cookies into her bag. “She probably does too. The magic must have canceled out.”

“Well Skyla doesn’t,” Evie addresses and they both look up to the dirty blonde. “She seems fine.”

“Let’s hope so,” Mal mumbles, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We don’t need more love spells if Ben is anything to go by.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Evie murmurs, wrapping an arm around Mal and giving her a squeeze. “Let’s try and enjoy the rest of the game, okay?”

Mal hums and shifts in her seat. Evie’s arm drops from Mal’s shoulder, but their hands come to brush against one another on the bench.

Skyla was not exaggerating when she said the Auradon Prep’s tourney team sucked. The boys’ (minus Jay and Carlos—much to Evie and Mal’s annoyance) are close to wrapping up the first half of the game and they have yet to score. ‘The Falcons’ if Evie heard correctly, already scored two points and the game is dragging. In honesty, Evie is ready for the game to be over completely. She’s torn; part of her elated that the modified cookies had no effect on the group of people she is surrounding herself with and the other part highly disappointed that she failed at what appeared to be an easy fix potion.

The horn/buzzer goes off indicating that the game has reached the half-time break. Students take the time to stand and stretch, others taking the time to use the restroom or go buy something from the concession stands.

Andrea reaches up stretching her back before standing. She shoots Evie a wolfish smile. “I’m going to grab something to drink and something to munch on. That cookie did wonders, but I’m feeling sort of famished. Can I grab you anything?”

The question is geared towards Evie and the Isle Princess’ notes that despite Andrea being a teenager like herself she always speaks with a certain level of articulation something that most of the students she has encountered lacked.

“We’re good,” Mal answers, for both of them having overheard the question. “Plus, we wanted to catch the cheerleaders’ show.”

Andrea’s smile dims a bit, but she bounces back and tilts her head towards Evie. The blue haired girl nods in appreciation, but echoes Mal’s answer. “I’m okay, but thank you.”

“Of course,” Andrea replies, smile returning to what it was. She turns to the rest of her friends. “Would anyone like anything?”

There is a chorus of answers, everyone saying that yes they wanted something. Curiously, all of them were hungry as if the cookie had made them crave anything that counted as food. In the end, Andrea, Merrick, Lonnie, and Skyla volunteer to grab everyone refreshments. Leonie turns to Elliot and engages him in a conversation in front of Evie and Mal while Tessa and Anthony begin to discuss the probabilities of ‘The Falcon’s’ soccer teams being better than Auradon’s.

Music begins to filter out from the speakers drawing attention towards the centerfield where the Auradon Cheerleaders have taken their stance. Audrey is front and center through their performance. Mal finds herself easily lost in the routine and Evie finds herself lost in the carefree expression Mal dons while observing the cheer squad.

Yes, Auradon is changing them. Maybe for the better maybe not, but it is definitely a healthier influence on them than the Isle ever was. Mal looks slightly more at peace, her skin while still pale is gaining a little bit of color; her figure is also filling out in way that makes her even more beautiful in Evie’s eyes. Her expression is still guarded, but Evie is beginning to see cracks in the armor the half-fae had carried through darkness for too long.

If she just had the courage to pick herself over Mother, than maybe Evie could have a shot at happiness with Mal. If only she was not scared, then Mal and she could rule their lives. If only Mal could realize that here, here in Auradon, life may not be all sunshine and rainbows, but it beat the fog and clouds of the Isle. That they could have a genuine chance at being happy—at learning that “love” is in fact not weakness, but strength.

“Fuck no,” Mal groans, and Evie snaps out of her musings following Mal’s eyesight. It’s Audrey—the brunette clamoring her way up the stands towards Evie and Mal. “What does she want?”

“Looks like we’re going to find out,” Evie says, watching as the Auradon Princess slides through students in order to avoid touching anyone more than necessary. She draws to a stop in front of both girls—Mal does nothing to wipe the look of disdain from her face, so it’s up to Evie to smile apologetically for them.

“Audrey,” Evie greets, forcing a pleasant smile on her face.

“Evie,” Audrey returns the greeting, smiling slightly before the smile drops from her face as she meets Mal’s gaze. “Mal.”

“Bitch,” Mal mutters, but it is muted enough that only Evie heard her and she shoots the smaller girl a very sharp glare. “Audrey.”

This time the name is said in a louder tone, one bordering disgust.

“What brings you around?” Evie questions when the silence becomes palpable between the three girls.

Audrey regards them with curious eyes. Her hazel orbs narrow for a minute before relaxing back to their normal size.

“I wanted to see what you guys thought of tourney,” Audrey mentions, her right hand coming to fiddle with her skirt. “It’s the first time I see you out here and as the Cheer Captain, it is my responsibility to see how students are doing.”

“It’s interesting,” Evie answers, knowing Mal’s answer would consist of telling Audrey to piss of in a very crude manner. “Very different than the Isle.”

“I can imagine,” Audrey replies, tone friendly, but not completely comfortable. “Andrea asked me to mention this to you. There’s typically a party following a win—not that that’s what this is, but there’s almost always a party following a game—”

“Are you inviting us to a party?” Mal’s voice sounds incredulous which granted is very fair with the way Audrey speaks to them, even to Evie who she now shares multiple classes with.

Audrey’s face stones and she looks like she really does not want to confirm Mal’s suspicion, but she grits her teeth and in tone very similar to the one she used when she toured around the school, she says: “I guess I am.”

It becomes a stare down between Audrey and Mal, and Evie feels a migraine coming on once again. She’s saved from answering when the buzzer goes off indicating that there’s two minutes left of break before the game continues. Audrey huffs breaking eye-contact when she turns to saunter back to the sidelines.  

“You’re not actually considering going, right?” Mal mentions as both their gazes trail the other girl.

“And pass up the chance of causing mischief between goodie-two shoes,” Evie laughs, turning to her best friend. “I think we should. It’ll look weird if we got invited and then didn’t go. Jay and Carlos will probably want to.”

“How did I get stuck with you three,” Mal sighs, feeling a twitch at the corner of her lips with Evie’s laugh. “I hate parties.”

“Like I said, Mal,” Evie taunts, winking at the younger girl. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

This time Mal’s jaw drops and Evie just smirks, thanking her lucky stars that the horn goes off announcing the start of the third quarter.

The quarter goes much like the first two, but at least Auradon scores one point about twelve minutes in. Jay and Carlos have, yet to play and Evie wonders if it was even worth coming out to the game when she could have finished up half her work and snuck off to practice some magic. Mal does not fair much better and halfway through the third quarter pulls out her sketchpad to distract herself. Evie drowns out the rest of the world as she watches Mal work her own magic with pencil and paper. There’s something so beautiful in the way Mal brings to life a page, revealing feelings, thoughts out to the open. They are both lost in their own little world that they barely notice the horn go off announcing the last quarter. Evie briefly glances up when the final quarter begins, but when she sees that Jay and Carlos are both still on the bench her attention returns to Mal’s drawings.

A tap on her shoulder around thirteen minutes later brings the bluenette back into the world of the living. Somewhere in the fourth quarter Auradon had managed to tie with their opponent. The Isle Princess’ turns toward the Arendelle heir quirking a brow.

“Looks like they’re playing Jay,” Andrea points out, causing Mal to cease her hand and alongside Evie, turn towards the field. “And…maybe Carlos.”

“He looks like he might pass out,” Skyla mentions watching how Carlos sits back down before being pulled back up by Jay. Mal snorts in agreement, but stores her sketchpad—attention on her two friends.

“He can take them,” Evie sighs, tilting her head and watching the team dressed in dark green shoulder check one another. “…maybe…”

“I’m sure, he’ll be fine,” Andrea whispers, squeezing Evie’s hand before letting it drop. “Jay will watch out for him.”

If Mal notices the small gesture from the blonde she chooses not to voice her opinion about it. Instead, Evie and Mal invest themselves fully on cheering on their two boys. They shout in glee when Jay blocks effectively and snakes past his opponents setting himself up to shoot. The goalkeeper blocks his hit, but Jay just shakes it off. They scream when Carlos manages to sneak around the opposing team and clear a path for Chad—the blond prince missing the goal. They don’t care that they begin to go hoarse when Carlos takes one for the team and blocks so well he ends up spiraling to the floor; Jay coming to pick him up and them working as a team to set up the winning pass. The stands go wild as Prince Ben scores the tie-breaking point. The point that Carlos and Jay—they Isle Boys’ gifted the King-to-be.

 “Ben scored, we won,” Lonnie exclaims, a smile so wide it’s a miracle it does not hurt her face as it spreads across her cheeks.

“You sound surprised,” Mal comments, laughing alongside the student body.

“We are,” Skyla mentions, grinning.

“What did you think, Blue?” Andrea asks turning towards Evie.

A bubbly laugh escapes Evie’s lips, a contagious spread of exhilaration from the win.

“I think that maybe you might have someone at the stands tomorrow,” Evie snickers, watching Andrea grin back at her.

“Aye,” Andrea chuckles, turning to look at Tessa and Skyla. “Ladies, looks like we have a fan for tomorrow.”

Evie rolls her eyes and catches Mal’s quirk of a brow. She shakes her head and her red-brown gaze begins to search for their two boys. She finds Jay bro-hugging Chad and Carlos blushing as a couple of cheerleaders congratulate him.

“It depends on if you guys can actually play, you know, keep an audience entertained,” Evie adds, following up with a small jab to Mal’s ribs. “Looks like Carlos is the one with a fan.”

“What do you mean?” Mal begins to ask as she catches sight of Carlos.

Timid, callous, quiet Carlos who is being hugged and kissed on the cheek by Jane—nervous, wanting-to-fit-in, daughter of _the_ Fairy Godmother—Jane. Pulling back Jane blanches at her actions while Evie and Mal laugh not knowing who was redder between the pair.

“Who knew Carlos had it in him,” Mal says, watching Jay whoop and pull Carlos into a headlock.

Evie just smiles, heart elated at Mal’s tone. For a moment the older girl forgets that they have a plan. She forgets that Ben is spelled to fall in love with Mal. She forgets that they are children of villains living in the land of heroes among the children of legends. For a moment, she’s just a sixteen year old enjoying an ecstatic celebration with her best friend because their friends helped triumph.

That moment ends—and it ends abruptly with Prince Ben, side-stepping the official announcer of the tourney game and quietening the screaming students.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” Ben interrupts, grabbing onto the gold microphone. “Can I have your attention please?”

“What is he doing?” Mal mutters, face losing color as she turns towards Evie. “Please tell me he’s not about to do something stupid.”

Evie frowns at the girl’s discomfort, lowering herself towards Mal’s ear she husks: “I can’t tell you that, but I am here for you, always M.”

They turn to look at the Prince who has now moved to stand on top of a podium of sorts checkered out in red and yellow. Ben hesitates for a second, his gaze veering from side to side—briefly it lands on Audrey. The brunette Princess shoots her boyfriend a curious look, but smiles nonetheless in hopes to encourage him. That seems to be the sign Ben needs because the Prince clears his throat and searches among the crowd blue eyes trying (and failing) to meet a certain half-fae’s.

“Give me an M,” Ben states and the student body follows, Evie included because Tessa hip checked her and all of a sudden she finds herself pushing against Andrea’s side. The blonde smirks and Evie blushes slightly tuning back into what Ben is stating. “…what does that spell?”

An echo of ‘Mal’ transpires throughout the student body and Evie turns to look at her best friend who is awfully white, grey-green eyes blazing. Andrea also follows Evie’s gaze, but when the words register in the blonde’s head her gaze immediately flickers onto the field where she can see the same realization cross Audrey’s face.

The continuation of Ben’s speech makes four hearts—a purple haired fae’s, a blue locked enchantress’, a brown tresses princess’, and a platinum-gold curled heiress’—stop beating (not obviously) for a second.

“I love you Mal,” Ben sighs, his eyes meeting Mal’s from across the stands. “Did I mention that?”

Audrey sprints off the field and Andrea shoots an apologetic glance towards Evie and one of mistrust towards Mal before she excuses herself to find her best friend. Evie bites her cheek as Ben turns towards Doug and signals for music to start.

“What the fuck, E?” Mal whispers, eyes narrowing towards the Prince. “What was in that cookie?”

Evie whimpers, unsure of what to do because like it or not they are now the current center of attention. But neither girl is aware of how far out of the water Ben’s wooing is supposed to be. Evie’s sure her jaw drops multiple times as the King-to-be sings his heart out towards Mal. Feeling upon feeling churn inside Evie as she witnesses her-Mal want to sink into the earth and be swallowed whole.

“Aren’t you going to join in the fun, Evie?” Lonnie questions breaking out of the chorus in the song.

And suddenly it is not just Lonnie looking at the blue haired girl, but Tessa, Skyla, Anthony, Merrick, Elliot, and Leonie blinking towards the Isle Princess. So Evie grins and laughs (not wanting to, of course): “I didn’t know I could.”

“Of course you can,” Lonnie chuckles and swings her arms up in the air, taking in Ben’s second verse.

But Evie can feel the eyes of the rest of the group on her and she works well under pressure because it is what Mother taught her to do despite the pangs in her chest. Her magic does a wonderful job of aiding her and for once Evie wishes that it would turn dark, that she would be selfish and whisk Mal and her away, but she cannot do that. She would never put Mal in danger for her own selfish needs—and Mal wants the wand. She needs the wand to gain a level of respect from Maleficent herself—Evie would not take that away from the smaller girl.  Thus, Evie would do anything for her best friend even if it meant breaking her own heart in the process.

Instead, she grabs Mal’s hands and squeezes them joining in on the following chorus. Mal rolls her eyes, but a small smile graces her features while some color returns to her cheeks and Evie grins internally knowing it is her doing and not Ben’s. When the music slows for the bridge of the song, a song that no one but Ben seems to know except for the choruses, Evie finds herself mouthing along the words—when the song is over she will have to ponder how she knew them, but in the moment it seems unimportant. At that very moment it is almost as if the world fades away and all that is left is Evie-and-Mal; blue and purple, grey-green and red-brown, half-fae and enchantress…

The words falling in whispers from Evie as Mal locks her gaze and their hands interlace leave them frozen in space, and not even Ben’s serenade of the same words seems to break their trance:

“ _I gotta know which way to go, come on give me a sign. You gotta show me that you’re only ever gonna be mine. Don’t wanna go another minute livin’ without you ‘cause if your heart just isn’t in it I don’t know what I’d do…because my love for you is ridiculous.”_

As the song launches into the final chorus, the magic breaks and the two girls gasp for a second before sound engulfs them. There’s shouting and harmonizing of music and Ben is dancing in splits—something Evie really did not think was possible. Mal’s breath is shallow and her gaze is piercing as it turns to Evie, but the blue haired girl is no longer looking at her. No, Evie’s attention is on Ben and how she wants to wrap her hand around his neck and how her heart needs to stop hammering because _fuck_ did she come close to telling Mal of her feelings.

The screaming increases and both Mal and Evie’s gazes snap towards Ben who is stripping himself of his shirt. And the blue jersey with a golden number ‘7’ is propelling towards the two Isle girls’ direction landing in Mal’s hand. Evie blinks not believing what she just saw is true and Mal turns to her questions ready to fall from her own lips, but then Evie’s eyes widen and Mal shifts to see what caused that reaction and her own follow suit. Ben is crowd surfing his way towards them, still singing into the microphone and Mal really has no place to run. She backs up into Evie, ready to push her way out, yet the taller girl’s hand settle onto her waist giving her strength and support, spinning her to face the boy just as Ben reaches her final words of the song slipping from his mouth.

“I would give my kingdom for just one kiss,” Ben finishes, standing in front of Mal. “C’mon now.”

Mal smiles unsure of what exactly her reaction should be as she looks up into blue eyes. Ben grins and raises his hand to graze her cheek—Evie clenches her hand at the gesture, but says nothing, and watches heart tearing as Ben leans in for a kiss. She is saved from the scene by Mal bringing her hands up to stop the kiss with Ben’s jersey and the boy blinks, confused by the action. He takes it in stride, however, wrapping his arm around Mal’s shoulder causing Evie’s hands to drop from Mal’s waist.

Chuckling, he proclaims: “I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?”

Evie’s heart sinks and the sadness sweeps back into her vision as Mal forces a smile and everyone around them awes. From the corner of her eye she can see Jay searching to meet her gaze, but Evie cannot face him right now. She needs to be the supportive best friend, she needs to be whatever Mal wants her to be. She can have her own time to grieve later.

There is a commotion from Ben’s right catching Evie’s attention. It is Andrea trying to pull Audrey back, but the Aurorian Princess seems to have her mind made up because she’s dragging Chad up the stairs alongside her. Evie feels her heart sink even more—she knows what Audrey is doing. She can see it in the despair and utter heartbreak passing through hazel eyes. She almost wishes she could reach out to the other girl and stop what was about to happen. Help her with the utter anguish that comes from watching the person you would do anything for pick someone else.

The microphone is torn from Ben’s hand and Audrey’s voice echoes through the school grounds: “Chad’s my boyfriend now and I’m going to Coronation with him. So I don’t _need_ your pity date.”

A gasp and “oohs” ripple through the student body at Audrey’s burn. Evie should feel angered at the words that seemed to have struck a chord with Mal, but she is honestly so lost in her own emotions that there is no proper way to react.

 _Mierda_. Chad has slipped through her fingers—nothing to please Mother. Evie will have to start from scratch because she is not about the steal Chad away from Audrey. She will not cause more pain to the Princess not when her world has been ripped away for the purposes of Villains set out to destroy the world and Children trying their best to gain an ounce of approval. The kiss is unexpected and Evie gags as she sees Audrey recoil a little bit from it, but Ben steals the microphone back and shouts:

“Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?”

A feeble “Yes” falls from Mal’s lips before it repeats itself louder.

This time Evie’s heart shatters. This time she gasps (tiny) as she feels her chest constrict in a way that she never imagined was possible. The rest of the world fades away into a haze and Evie is left to pick up the pieces of a shambled heart. A fate she knew she was destined for, trained for, but caught unprepared for. Her breaths are shallow and sharp and while the school is abuzz around her, celebrating in their win and Ben’s happiness, Evie finds herself falling into a black hole.

Then there is a light in the darkness. It is small, but it comes in the form of Mal’s voice. Despite, knowing that the voice will have nothing to offer, Evie follows it and the world comes back into focus. A worried bottom lip trapped between teeth and shades of concerned grey-green meet her. Evie sighs rolling her shoulders back, hands falling onto her hips as she glances towards the field where Audrey and Andrea are engaged in a heated debate of whispers with Chad standing off to the side eyeing both girls.

“I feel really sorry for Audrey?” Mal comments, the grin she was sporting for the crowd disappearing as she glances over at her best friend.

Evie feels tears prickle her eyes. _It’s not Audrey, Mal. It’s you. You can’t even tell what’s wrong._ She clears her throat, but her gaze does not waver.

“You do?” Evie questions, tone soft.

“Yeah,” Mal hums, turning to look at the brown haired Princess. “I feel like if she were talented like you, smart, cunning, daring, and knew how to sew and knew beauty tips…then she wouldn’t need a prince to make her feel better about herself.”

Evie hates how Mal knows exactly what to say. She hates how the corner of her lips betray her and tilt upward as she is paid compliments. She hates how despite wanting to please Mother, Mal always sees more in her—always sees past Evie’s need to want a prince. Always wishes for Evie to aspire for more than just settling for someone else.

“I guess I am kind of talented,” Evie sighs, laughing as Mal slips her hand into her own.

Mal squeezes and Evie snaps her gaze to meet fiery eyes. Not a single lie is hidden in Mal’s next words. “You are definitely gifted.”

“Thanks, M,” Evie exhales, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl.

Mal sinks into Evie’s hold, the events of the past half an hour seeping into her bones.

“Anytime, E,” Mal whispers, closing her eyes before pulling back.

 

 

“Most valuable player, hmm?” Evie smirks, pulling the taller boy into a hug as Evie and Mal filter into the boys’ room.

“Something like that,” Jay grins, squeezing Evie’s waist twice in quick succession—a language they had come up with back on the Isle.

“I’m okay,” Evie whispers into his ear, as she pulls away.

“I didn’t die,” Carlos exclaims, laughing as he bounces out of the closet dressed in his regular colors of red, white, and black instead of the school’s blue and yellow.

“No, you didn’t,” Mal smiles ruffling white curls. “You did get some attention though.”

Carlos flushes the same tone as his shirt while Jay howls in the background and Evie chuckles richly.

“You might be turning into the heartbreaker, C,” Evie teases, running her hand across his chest. “Should I be worried? You’re running into my territory.”

Carlos shakes his head, slipping towards his dresser and checking himself out in front of the mirror. Evie laughs at his antics feeling Mal come up behind her and wrapping arms around her waist. Evie melts into her friend’s hold.

Settling her chin on Evie’s shoulder, Mal affirms, “The title is still yours, Princess. No need to get defensive.”

“Anyway,” Jay says, pulling out two shirts one in maroon and the other a mustard tone. “ _Amira_ , which one? Got to look my best when I get laid.”

Carlos groans from his desk—the boy not being able to stay still. While, Evie shakes with laughter feeling Mal’s nose scrunch against her neck. Evie begins to pull away to turn towards Jay and Mal breaks their hold, choosing to plop onto the older boy’s bed.

“You’re incorrigible, _Jayden_ ,” Evie reprimands, already pointing towards the maroon toned shirt seeing it match better with Jay’s dark denim pants, passing Mal. “Pair that with your red beanie and your jacket.”

“Why thank you, _Evelyn_ ,” Jay mocks, ducking at the pillow that gets thrown in his direction from the blue haired girl. “How hard do you think Auradon kids party?”

“Probably not hard at all,” Carlos answers, slipping on a white denim jacket and straightening out his black shorts.

Evie hums her agreement from the mirror where she’s fixing her navy blue crop-top and retouching her blood-red lipstick. She runs a finger-less gloved       hand through her hair, tousling it just the right amount before shooting herself a kiss.

“How do I look?” Evie questions, turning to her three friends.

“Hot,” Jay and Carlos answer in synch as they eye the leather pants she wears and black heels that match her to Jay’s height.

“M?” Evie insists, biting her lip as Mal’s gaze rakes over her figure lingering at certain spots.

“Perfect,” Mal replies, tongue swiping her lips an action Evie does not miss. “We should go, don’t want to be too late.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being fashionably late,” Evie says, coming over to straighten Mal’s dark purple jacket. Giving Mal a onceover, Evie thanks whoever invented skinny jeans—the dark forest green paired with a black tank top gives Mal the perfect look of forbidden fruit. “You look cute.”

“Just cute?” Mal chuckles, tilting her head up—despite wearing heeled sneakers, Evie’s heels brought the girls back to their original height difference.

Evie winks and Jay coughs in the background, but grey-green and red-brown stare intently at one another.

“We should head over,” Jay states, glancing over at the clock. “It’s nearing ten.”

Breaking eye-contact Evie smirks once again and murmurs just low enough for Mal to hear: “Definitely more than just cute.”

The taller girl winks and reaches over Mal towards the bed where her discarded blue leather jacket lays. Grabbing it she turns towards the boys who are waiting by the door and pulls a slightly blushing Mal towards the door. Evie is definitely blaming her magic for making her actions bolder.

“Who’s ready to teach Auradon how to party?” Evie smiles, hearing Carlos and Jay whoop while Mal laughs.

“After you, Princess,” Mal states, opening the door with a mock bow.

Evie rolls her eyes, but proceeds to lead the way. Pulling out her phone, Evie double-checks the instructions a reluctant and pissed-off, upset Audrey had sent her during the half-time. Quickly, but quietly the four of them venture down the halls, passing students who linger in alcoves talking about weekend plans. They keep to themselves, not engaging with anyone and casting a shadow of fear in some (most) of the Auradon population. They all smirk as student jump out of their way not wanting to be caught on their bad side. Evie leads them out of the halls and towards the back of the Literature and Arts building, down the twining path to the gardens.

“Where are you taking us, Eves?” Carlos points out, as they make a left towards a dirt path into the bushy forest behind the school’s garden. “Cause this looks sketchy.”

Evie shrugs as she checks once more the directions given to her. “I’m just following what was sent to me.”

“And we’re sure this isn’t a trap from Audrey?” Jay whistles as the sky above them turns dark with the forest green leaves, moonlight filtering through certain parts of the path. “Cause after what Ben pulled, I definitely wouldn’t blame her.”

“Yup,” Evie pops the ‘p’ feeling Mal slip next to her. “I texted Andrea to make sure that we weren’t being set up.”

“This better be worth the trip to Underland,” Mal mutters, grey-green eyes glowing as they turn to look at Evie who shrugs in response.

“Guess we’re about to find out,” Evie replies, gesturing towards a cabin that glows a couple of yards in front of them.

“Wait,” Mal mentions watching her friends pause and turn towards her. “I don’t care that this isn’t a trap, we still have to be weary. No one eats or drinks anything unless it comes from an unopened bottle that is being opened in front of you and served to others. You are not to try anything by yourself. This could all be a ploy.”

Green orbs glow with more intensity as they meet differing pools of chocolate. Mal relaxes as each one of her teammates nods their agreement.

“No drinking, got it,” Jay says, rolling on the balls of his feet. “Anything else?”

“Arendelle and her crew ate the cookies earlier,” Mal adds, crossing her arms as Jay’s jaw drops and Carlos blinks. “We don’t know how they’re affected, be aware. We don’t need another Ben.”

Evie lowers her gaze when Mal’s eyes look pointedly at her. Feelings swarm in her abdomen and for the first time the blue haired girl wishes she could disappear from the intense focus. She knows Mal is concerned, but Evie will not let herself hope for something that Mal would immediately reject.

“We should head in,” Evie whispers, when the tension between the four escalates. “The music here ought to be good, right?”

The boys are the first to crack a smile at the suggestion and swiftly, Carlos offers his hand to Evie pulling her towards the door while Jay lingers behind soft smile on his face and jerks his towards the cabin. Mal sighs rolling her eyes but follows behind Jay’s bounce.

 

 

The cabin is definitely reminiscent of the Isle, Evie thinks as she steps inside—well maybe a little bit cleaner. It is not packed, but it surely is not empty. There are two speakers near the back in between a mixing station—Evie notices that Aziz and Merrick seem to be manning the mood of night. The music itself is something none of the villain kids have heard, not that that is a surprise. The lighting inside is pretty dim—almost like home and in the middle of the larger room the furniture has been pushed back to make room for a makeshift dance floor. From the front door Evie can make out two doors to the left of the main room—one she assumes is the bathroom and the other is the kitchen. There seems to be a hallway to the right of the living room, but from where she stands Evie cannot make out what is at the end. The dancefloor is packed for its size Lonnie, Tessa, and Skyla dancing while their friends cheer them on from the sidelines.

Red-brown eyes flicker over the scene trying to place everyone she knows. Aziz and Merrick in the back; Skyla, Tessa, Lonnie, Leonie, and Anthony, on the dancefloor, Jane and Doug hover near the door to the kitchen with nervous looks on their faces; Melody, Mila, Kita, Kyra, and a brunette Evie cannot place are next to the couch talking; while Chad, Manvel, and another player from the tourney team whose name Evie does not know hover near a table set up for beer pong; Audrey, Andrea, and Ben ( _thank Hades_ ) are not in sight.

Crossing gazes with Skyla, Evie nods her head in acknowledgement as the blonde breaks away from her group of friends. Carlos, seems to have disappeared from her side and Evie tilts her head catching sight of white curls next to long black hair and a purple mane on the other side of the room. Grey-green meet her own eyes and Evie breathes easy knowing that Mal has her in line of sight despite being across the room. They share a soft smile just as Skyla reaches Evie’s side.

“I didn’t think you would actually show,” the dark-locked blonde greets.

Evie rolls her eyes at the other girl, who has a drink in hand.

“And ruin a good chance of having some fun in Auradon, never,” Evie replies, taking in the other girl. Skyla is more or less Evie’s height, built strong and lithe like her mother, gorgeous in her own way— _what was Mother thinking telling me Princes are everything? Has she bothered to look at both?_

Skyla grins taking a sip from her drink—alcoholic for sure, but nothing Evie has ever smelt or drank beforehand.

“I thought Audrey’s little show would have scared you,” Skyla chuckles, as she nods her head towards the kitchen. “Fancy something to drink?”

Evie scoffs, “As if.”

Relenting to the older girl Evie follows her into the kitchen where the counter is covered in plastic cups, large bottles of soda, and a few bigger bottles of liquor.

“What’s your poison?” Skyla asks, gesturing to the selection of drinks.

Evie takes a moment to look at what is offered. Mal made it very clear that nothing opened should be taken and even without her best friend’s orders Evie is not stupid enough to drink from an open bottle. Years of living on the brink of death can do that to a person, so instead she levels her hand under the tabletop and lets her magic do its thing. She hopes for once that it decides to cooperate and not struggle or cause a scene—she’s been practicing since Wednesday so there’s little hope. But hey, if Mal can master simple spells by reading a book in a span of a month then surely a detection spell pushed by her conscious should work.

Humming as she thinks, Evie focus the blue energy within her urging it to find an untainted and unopened liquor. Keeping her eyes on the countertop the enchantress barely catches a light blue glow coming from a smaller unopened bottle of mixed vodka. Reaching over the table she grabs the smaller liquor bottle and places it in front of Skyla.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Skyla laughs taking in the labeled flavor—blue-raspberry. “Right up your alley.”

Evie rolls her eyes and watches as it is poured into an empty cup from a new bag.

“Want a mixer?” Skyla questions, at the shake of her head she only raises a brow, “you sure?”

“Pretty sure,” Evie replies reaching over for her cup. Sipping it, Evie holds back a moan—it is not the first time she drinks, but Hades if this doesn’t taste like glory compared to the shitty rum and moonshine found on the Isle. The alcohol despite being bitter tastes sweet when thinking back to the grotesque booze found back home.

“Your death wish,” Skyla chimes in as she takes another sip.

“Should you even be drinking?” Evie questions, as the pair saunter back into the party room. “Don’t you have a game tomorrow?”

“I don’t get hungover,” Skyla mentions proudly, Evie thinks she puffs out her chest—very Berk like.

“Sure,” Evie comments, noticing that Andrea and Audrey are now in the room at the beer pong table where the crowd has seemed to double. “What’s that?”

Skyla’s eyes widen. “You don’t know what beer pong is?”

Evie rolls her eyes again and shakes her head. “I know what beer pong is, I’m asking why there’s a big crowd.”

“Oh,” Skyla says looking relieved. “I don’t know, must be a good game—I don’t know why, mostly everyone sucks at it. Wanna check it out?”

Evie shrugs and lets Skyla lead the way—later, Evie will ponder why she felt so at ease with the older girl, when compared to all the Auradon population.

Pushing past some of the other students, Evie does her best to not shudder or react poorly to being touched. On the Isle you never touch others—crowds equates to being shanked or worse. One avoids crowds, one does not willingly go into them. Taking a deep breath Evie reminds herself that Auradon is not the Isle—that here no one is out to hurt her. Reaching the table, Evie sighs quietly and takes a sip from her drink relieved that Skyla is mostly behind her. The other girl seemingly have picked up on Evie’s tense posture has maneuvered them to the side of the table closer to the wall—that way Evie has no one behind her while Skyla is to her left leaving the blue haired girl’s right side next to her friends.

“You’re going down Isle Boys,” Chad’s voice echoes catching Evie’s attention. Her gaze flickers to the blond prince who stands next to a girl with dark brown hair at one end of the table (Audrey behind her boyfriend and Andrea next to her). “Y’all best be ready to lose.”

On the opposite end of the long table stand Carlos and Jay; Mal stands next to the boys looking almost entertained by the slight tilt of her bottom lip. Crossing gazes with her best friend Mal slips closer to the bluenette. The music is still pumping in the background, but it seems to go mute when Jay cackles (in good humor despite some of the Auradon inhabitants flinching).

“You wish Chad,” Jay taunts, pulling Carlos into him. “Less talking more playing.”

“Jay,” Carlos hisses as he struggles against the older boy’s grip. “I didn’t agree to this.”

Jay pays him no mind and watches as Chad sets up for his first shot. Mal rolls her eyes behind the boys, but takes a step forward placing her hand on Carlos’ shoulder.

“You got this, Pup,” Mal whispers, before she pulls back—leaning against the wall.

Evie’s insides melt at the graceful touch from their cold-hearted leader. Despite not being one for public displays of affection—Evie knows better than anyone that Mal would always be their protector, it was engrained in the purplette.

Chad is a terrible shot, Evie comes to notice as the game progresses. The girl—Jordan, the Genie’s daughter, as explained by Skyla—is a lot better than the Prince. Neither are as good as Carlos and Jay when working together (and to the Isle Princess’ surprise there is no cheating from her friends—Harry and Uma had been fooled one too many times by Jay’s dirty tricks and Carlos’ backup plans).

“They’re getting crushed,” Skyla comments, watching how Audrey hands her boyfriend another cup and Andrea does the same with Jordan. “Jordan and Chad are going to be trashed and hating tomorrow.”

“You sound worried,” Evie laughs watching the grimace settle over Chad’s face as he downs another beer. Jay and Carlos exchange a high five and sip from their own beers—courtesy of Jane, who had brought them over with an uneasy smile that disappeared with a shy smile from Carlos.

“Jordan is our goalie,” Skyla points out, setting down her now empty cup. “I’m out, want anything?”

Evie lifts her cup, the silent request of the same thing on her tongue. Skyla nods as she grabs her empty cup and walks towards the kitchen. Evie takes a moment to roll her shoulders back and leans against the wall feeling how Mal inches closer.

“So much for not drinking Princess,” Mal teases as she watches Chad groan at the missed shot. Jordan levels him out and the game goes on. “Care to share?”

Evie silently hands over her drink and Mal takes a sip scrunching her nose at the taste.

“It takes a little bit to get used to,” Evie chuckles, filing away Mal’s scrunched look to her memories—how could Mal be so darn cute?

“Why is it sweet?” Mal asks, taking another hesitant sip.

Evie makes a grabbing motion for her cup, but Mal shakes her head and drinks more taking a step back.

“Ass,” Evie whines silently as Mal relents tipping over the cup, but not handing it over. Taking a sip red-brown melds into grey-green and it takes Evie separating herself from the cup and licking her lips for them to realize how close they are standing to one another.

It dawns on Evie how the universe seems to taunt her. The music fades behind them turning into a dull throb and seemingly it is just the two of them in room. Gazes ignited in a certain flame that burns no matter the time of day or the place. Evie licks her lips once more, tasting the bittersweet alcohol on her tongue. Her eyes smolder as she sees Mal shiver. The half-fae greedily take more sips from Evie’s cup. Reaching out Evie pushes a stray stand of hair from Mal’s face and the smaller girl melts into her touch. This is intimate, Evie thinks, too intimate for a public setting. But no one is paying them any mind. Here in the dark room where more are focused on dancing or the game going out between their peers—it is just them. This moment is theirs and no one else’s.

“Evie,” Skyla calls, breaking Evie and Mal’s bubble as she pushes towards the table. In her left hand is Evie’s new cup while she maneuvers her own beverage in her other hand. Gulping for air, Evie smiles uneasily at Mal as she takes a step back. Mal hesitates for a second but shakes her head and they both turn to watch Skyla break through the crowd towards them. Once in front of both Isle girls Skyla hands over the come a shouted leaves her lips: “Here.”

Grabbing the cup Evie takes a long sip, sighing as it burns the back of her throat. “Thanks.”

Skyla nods and hums towards Mal, Mal for her part nods in acknowledgement. The three of them turn back towards the game, where Carlos and Jay are winning by a landslide. Where Chad’s movements are sloppy and his voice slurs with every exclamation leaving his tongue. Where Jordan is seeing cross-eyed and even her on-point shots are veering too far to the right or left, and her face is flushed with the amount of alcohol in her body.

“I should go rescue, Jordan,” Skyla mentions watching her teammate miss another shot and stagger forward to catch herself. “See if I can get her to drink water and go to sleep.”

“The game is almost over,” Mal comments, gaze locked on the boys. “Give it a minute and the boys will win.”

“Jordan shouldn’t drink more,” Skyla continues. “Regardless of the boys winning any moment now.”

Evie and Mal keep quiet, they do not know the rules of alcohol in Auradon. On the Isle you look out for yourself. You don’t rely on others to help you and you certainly don’t back out of a challenge—no matter how much you’ve had to drink. There’s a cheer that erupts from Jay and Carlos’ side of the table as the boys score the final cup on Chad’s side. Reluctantly the Prince raises his cup his lips and drinks, Jordan sighs in relief that is was Chad’s punishment and not her turn to drink.

“Guess she got lucky,” Evie inputs, watching as Skyla pushes off the wall and towards Jordan, who is being supported by Andrea. From the corner of her eye Evie watches Audrey help a stumbling Chad to the couch.

“Guess she did,” Skyla agrees, tossing her drink back before walking to the younger girl.

“Mal, Evie,” Jay’s voice calls out from behind the girls. “Wanna show these losers how we play it back on the Isle?”

The smart decision would be ‘no’. The logical part of Evie’s brain is telling her to move away and not play. The illogical, loves to be challenged, needs a release before her magic combusts, and simply disagrees with the logical side. The rest of party freezes at the suggestion watching with curiosity the potential outcomes of the game.

“What are you proposing, _Jayden_?” Evie mocks, watching the taller teen bristle at his first name. Her magic hums at the prospect of a little competition and it yearns to be let out.

“We win—you, _Evelyn_ , do our work,” Jay suggests, adding as an afterthought when he turns to Mal, “both of you.”

“And if we win?” Mal sighs, stepping up next to Evie. Her shoulders coiled with mirth while her arms are crossed in front of her chest in defiance.

Jay shrugs and nods towards Carlos who has begun to set up their side of the table, only to pause when he hears Jay’s idea. “Carlos does your work.”

“What the fuck, Jay,” Carlos groans, as he stops and watches the girls.

Mal quirks a brow towards Evie who shakes her head. “No. If we win, you do our bidding for a week—whatever the hell we want.”

“Deal,” Jay states offering his hand to Mal. The purple haired girl shakes and the hand is offered to Evie.

Reaching out for a firm handshake, Evie pulls Jay forward—lips hovering over the boy’s ear. “No dirty tricks, Jay. It’s a clean game.”

Jay raises his hands in a mock surrender and grins as he hops back next to Carlos. Mal and Evie roll their eyes as they take over Chad and Jordan’s previous spot.

 

 

It’s a tight game. Eye to eye between the four of them and the Auradon crowd gathers eagerly on their feet as they watch the match. It’s almost a split in the audience—half the crowd cheering on the boys and the other half cheers on the girls.

“C’mon Evie!” Tessa chants, next to the girls as Evie lines up to toss the ball. Her teammates gather behind the demi-goddess—Andrea hovering closest to the bluenette.

Evie shoots them a smirk before closing her eyes and hearing a _swish_ followed by a _plop_. Carlos groans knowing it’s his turn to drink the cup. The smaller boy knocks his drink back and grimaces at the taste. Mal chuckles and lines up for her own shot, similarly to Evie the ball also lands inside one of the remaining cups—this time Jay takes the drink.

They are down to three cups on the girls’ side and two on the boys’ side. It’s Evie’s turn again and Mal takes a step back letting Evie work her magic. The older teen of the four lines up for her next shot, bending her elbow—

“Wait!” Carlos interjects, halting Evie’s throw and causing both of them to look at him. “I issue a challenge.”

The Auradon audience blinks in confusion while Jay sighs a _finally_ leaving his lips. Mal quirks a brow and Evie raises a manicured hand.

“What’s your challenge,” Evie asks, eyeing both boys.

“Double shot,” Carlos requests, “Repeat of Harry and Gil versus Uma and Freddie 2015.”

The girls do a double take—silence enveloping their group. Mal raises her gaze to meet Evie while the taller girl fiddles with her bottom lip between her teeth.

“You know what happens when you refuse a challenge,” Jay inputs when he notices the hesitance of the two Isle lasses. “You lose a cup.”

Evie nods and quirks her brow towards Mal. Shrugging the younger girl takes a stance in front of Evie and face the boys.

“Fine,” Mal concedes, picking up the ball that Evie had set down. “We accept, but you know the rules we make the shot and you have to repeat our exact shot.”

Carlos and Jay seems to mull over Mal’s comment.

“We know,” Jay answers, shrugging his own shoulders as a tantalizing grin appears on his face, “let’s get at it ladies.”

Evie rolls her eyes at her friend, but takes a step closer to Mal. The blue haired girl’s breath hitches inaudibly as she presses herself flush against Mal. Her left hand leaning against the table, arm enveloping Mal’s waist while her right arm sidles next to Mal’s right. Pale and caramel tones blend and Evie’s hands drapes itself over Mal’s ready for the ball to thrown by both of them. Tomorrow, she’ll kill Jay for putting her in this situation when he is now aware of her feelings for the half-fae. Lowering her mouth towards Mal’s ear, Evie will swear it is her imagination when she feels Mal shiver.

“Ready?” Evie whispers—and suddenly the world fades back to just them.

“Hmm,” Mal hums, leaning into the taller girl. “Whenever you are Princess.”

“Let’s do it then,” Evie murmurs, grinning. “Aim for the front cup.”

The taller girl pulls their hands back while Mal readjusts them to aim for the closer cup. Taking a deep breath and holding it, they watch the ball soar through the air. Waiting with bated breath they hear the satisfying _plop_ of plastic hitting liquid.

“Thank fucking Hades,” Mal mutters as Evie pulls away and the crown around them erupts in cheers.

Jay’s jaw drops and Carlos frowns at the fact that either they withdraw a cup or attempt to repeat the shot.

“Your turn,” Evie jeers, reaching for her vodka to take another sip.

Scowling Jay hands over the cup for Carlos to drink after removing the ball. Setting up similar to the girls, Carlos is wrapped up by Jay’s burlier figure. Their coordination while extremely compatible is less graceful than the girls. After their second attempt missed its Mal’s turn. She shoots the boys a pitying look, grinning at Evie, she takes her shot. The crowd erupts once more loud roars. Before Mal and Evie can react they are being swept up in arms—acting on instinct Mal pulls into herself and pushes against the wall. Evie follows a similar suit and wraps into herself, her hand reaching the waistband of her pants searching for the small dagger she is used to carrying.

“Y’all give the champs space to breathe,” Skyla quips stepping in front most of her classmates. Her tone is friendly, but with steel backing it up. She stands tall, Tessa catching on to her teammates tone takes a stance next to her (between the observers of the game and the Isle girls). Andrea who had been closest to both Mal and Evie approaches quietly in the line of sight of both girls.

“Sorry about that,” the Arendelle Princess apologizes on behalf of her peers. Mal rolls her eyes, but even Evie can tell that she would rather it be Andrea in front of then than anyone else.

“It’s whatever,” Mal comments, noticing how the crowd starts to return to the dancefloor—giving them more room to breathe. “I’m going to grab another drink.”

Evie’s eyes flicker to her best friend and Mal lifts her lips into a tight smile. They brush fingers as Mal sets out towards the boys and then off to the kitchen. Andrea stays silent at the exchange between the two Isle girls, merely taking into account what she sees.

“You have to stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” Evie comments as she tips her cup. “Seriously, it’s too Auradonian, it’s weird.”

Andrea laughs raising her own glass to her lips.

“We are in Auradon,” Andrea retorts, tilting her head back towards the hallway where another door leading to the back of the cabin is. “Care for some fresh air?”

Evie should say ‘no’. The boys and Mal are still in the kitchen grabbing drinks and Andrea did eat one of the cookies. Yet, Evie is still riding the high of their win. She’s still buzzing with energy and her magic thrums inside of her. The bluenette is warm inside the cabin—alcohol traveling through her body. Cold, fresh air is what she needs.

Nodding her head, Andrea slips her hand into Evie’s and they slip through the hallway and out the door.

 

 

The cool air that greets them relieves a pressure and tightness from the Isle Princess’ chest. Inhaling deeply, Evie allows for the breeze to whip her hair back—unaware of how warm the room had actually been. A snapping of twigs brings Evie back into the moment and she swivels towards the perceived threat only to see Andrea taking a seat on the floor.

“The Great Arendelle Princess dares to actually sit on the dirt?” Evie exclaims, noticing how her tone is less bite and more affection.

Andrea rolls her eyes, but good-naturedly pats the spot next to her.

“Yes,” Andrea replies, scooting over. “Now come join her royal majesty.”

Evie shakes her head, but plops down next to the taller girl. Pulling out her phone she shoots a message to the phone Jay, Mal, and Carlos share (Jay had swiped it a week into their arrival at Auradon, but prior to Evie receiving one from Andrea it had been useless) letting them know she was outside. Andrea and her sit in silence taking in the night sky, glowing cabin, thumping music in contrast to the quiet murmur of crickets…all of it paints a different image than the Isle.

The difference of worlds rocks Evie to her core. There are so many countering thoughts swimming in the sixteen year olds head. Images of crowns, wands, potions, cookies, touches, everything flickering behind closed eyelids. A deep sigh leaves plump lips and for a moment Evie forgets she’s in Auradon, but rather off in some corner of the world without a care in the world.

A shuffle from her right grounds her back in the moment. Andrea settles herself onto her elbows as she stretches out onto the ground.  Glancing briefly towards the older girl before returning her stare to the sky, Evie reaches for her drink and brings it to her lips.

“What’s your favorite part of Auradon?” Andrea questions breaking the silence, and Evie does a double take at the out of the blue question—gasping as half the liquid of her cup slips down her chin.

The blonde’s tone is extremely sincere and quiet, the exact opposite of the background noise. Azure eyes are flitting from the darker girl (in all senses) and the equally dark sky. Behind her, Evie can hear the pounding of the bass and she’s sure she can vaguely make out Mal, Jay, and Carlos whooping at whatever game they have now been wrapped into.

Evie can count on one hand and have two fingers left over when she feels her skin prickle at the curious gaze in her direction. Three people in her life have looked at her in such a manner and each time they have—Evie shivers unsure of what to feel or do.

“So?” the blonde prompts, sitting up and Evie turns to actually look at the blonde heiress. Her meticulous hair, that is normally either completely up or loosely curled, is now frayed and plastered with sweat against her forehead. Azure orbs are hazed with alcohol and light pink lips are sunken into with a dazzling smile. Perfectly crisp, white button-up shirts with baby-blue jeans have been replaced with dark navy-jeans ripped at the thighs-and-knees, as well as, a black v-neck halter top. If her clothing was darker or paired with leather she could slip as an Isle Girl.  “Earth to Blue?”

“Sorry,” Evie gulps, taking a much more measured sip from her cup. She taps her chin with a perfectly manicured finger and hums, well aware Andrea’s eyes are now fully on her. “Showers.”

“Showers?” Andrea echoes, raising a brow.

“Yes, showers, Arendelle,” Evie answers, setting her cup down into the dirt. Her hands coming to fiddle with the bottom of her jacket. “Running water isn’t exactly a thing on the Isle, especially warm running water.”

The tone of the conversation dims. The air heavy around them.

Clearing her throat Andrea, continues voice even softer than before. “I didn’t know.”

Evie scoffs chancing a glance at the other girl before her eyes focus onto her hands. Leaving her jacket, they pick up the vodka cup again and idly trace the rim of the glass.

“No one does,” Evie mutters, swirling the contents of clear liquid.

The music from the cabin echoes across the woods, muffled due to the walls but still present.

“What else?” Andrea questions, watching how red-brown orbs lock onto her own. “What else is different?”

Evie quirks a brow, a guarded look in her eyes.

“Are you serious?” Evie’s voice is incredulous. “You’re joking, right?”

The venom in Evie’s tone causes Andrea to flinch, but the genuine curiosity (and intoxication) flowing through her veins stops the filters normally in place.

“I want to know,” Andrea presses, her hands resting on her lap. “Everything in Auradon is painted in a certain light. Everything is meant to be hidden, pretty, clean…nothing can ever appear out of place. It seems fake almost. Arendelle isn’t like that…”

Evie stays quiet as the blonde speaks, watching how the blonde slumps slightly into herself. Unsure and timid—something Evie has never seen before in the other student. In this light, in her state Andrea is different. Gone is the royal poise and formality, Evie is first hand witness to—she wonders if it is Elsa’s doing that Andrea is so tightly wound. In its place is a teenage air—the actual depiction of what Andrea should be. The weight the blonde carries trying to defend her mother and her decisions on Arendelle’s future are lifted from delicate shoulders. With her hair frazzled and her posture lax, Andrea is a picture of who Evie wishes she could like. Someone who is a way would please Mother if the Evil Queen would be willing to forget a Prince. Someone who genuinely seems to care, especially about her. Someone who in some manner grew up with expectations, but is ready to set her own path.

In this moment, Andrea is the epitome of grace and beauty. Maybe, just, maybe Evie could close her eyes and pretend.

“The Isle,” Andrea’s voice continues and Evie forces herself to listen. “There’s nothing about it past the glossing over on why it was created. You were right on their being new literature on its upkeep. Mother refused to join Auradon when it was proposed—she said it was inhumane and so many disagreed. The backlash was unexpected, but Mother stood firm with her decision…I want to know about the Isle, not because I want to make you uncomfortable. I want to understand.”

There is so much sincerity in Andrea’s voice and her blue eyes gleam with innocence and determination that Evie does not know how, but she caves.

“What do you want to know?” Evie concedes, taking another drink. “You get three questions, Arendelle. My answers stay the way they are.”

Andrea contemplates what she wants to ask, knowing that Evie would shut down if she felt cornered. “Besides running water what else does the Isle lack?”

Evie laughs bitterly, empty it shakes Andrea. “Everything. Forget commodities like Wi-Fi, movies, music, books…that’s not important in the long run. There’s no source of medicine on the Isle—no doctors, checkups, anything of the like. Food? You scavenge what you can and hope you don’t starve. Next question.”

If the information shocks Andrea in any way she does a good job of hiding it. Instead, the blonde reaches over and take a sip from Evie’s own cup raising her eyes in a challenge when Evie quirks her brow. Returning the cup to Evie’s hands, Andrea chances a glance up noticing that they have come much closer together.

Evie’s skin trembles as Andrea’s fingers glide against her own. The blonde’s power move has shifted her closer. Sitting side by side, arms brushing and inhaling the same air. Charged with electricity, magic induced hazes for sure—Evie feels not only her own magic but Andreas waft around them. Their energy is intoxicating. Different than the intricacies of Mal and Evie, but similar at the same time.

“You speak of the Isle being dangerous,” Andrea murmurs, watching how red-brown flicker to look directly into her. Her thoughts drift over to the various conversations in Diplomacy and Law or the ones in Auradon Economics. She recalls how Evie tenses at certain ideas or the way she coils out when ignorant comments are made, but how she never attacks rather bristles. “What do you mean by that? Danger is everywhere, but the four of you move as if someone is chasing you, as if you’re caged. Evie, I’ve seen the scars on your hands, the lines on Mal’s wrists, and the one’s lining Jay and Carlos’ arms…how did you get those? I—”

“Stop,” Evie interjects, feeling the blonde tense next to her. “The scars we carry are our burden and ours alone. Survival of the fittest—that’s the way on the Isle. You do what you must to survive, no matter the cost. Last question.”

Andrea swallows, Evie’s posture more rigid than it was ten minutes ago. The hands that had fiddled with the rim of the cup are now curled up into themselves. Calloused fingers running patterns over worn leather. Valiantly or stupidly depending who one asks, Andrea reaches over and intertwines her own with Evie’s. Evie tries to contain the shiver and then her amazement and fear, that runs through her as the touch ignites a spark that is visibly seen with the glow of two differing types of magic.

Andrea gasps as her white-blue magic elicits a burst of Evie’s navy blue magic. In the air for a second before it is whisked into nothing white and navy mix into thin air. Evie tugs her hands away, her right coming to pinch the bridge of her nose. Tears prick behind closed eyelids, baited breath waiting for Andrea’s sharp tongue.

She’s greeted with a cooling touch on her cheek. Cold fingers brush under her eyes and slowly red-brown look into azure orbs. There is no disgust or hatred visible in the Arendelle Princess’ gaze, but rather confusion.

“Blue,” Arendelle whispers, leaning closer—breaths shared.

“What?” Evie bites, and she wants to sound mad, but she doesn’t. She wants to pull back. She wants to be back in her room with Mal—just Mal. Yet, she’s glued to this moment with Andrea and no matter how hard she tries to keep her gaze locked with Andrea’s it flickers to soft pink lips.

There is no audible answer, rather a brush of lips that forces both girl’s eyes to close. Andrea’s lips are soft against Evie’s own. They move at a slow pace rather than the frantic, aggressive Evie is used to back on the Isle. Flashes of all of her conquests or encounters—Antoine, Harry, Jay, Freddie, Uma—play out in her head, but none of them remind her of Andrea or what she pictures kissing Mal would be like.

There’s a swipe at her bottom lip and Evie tilts her head to the side. Kissing Andrea is not like kissing anyone from the Isle, but Evie is an Isle girl and that will never change. Instead of granting the older girl access, the blue haired teen nips at pink flesh. Andrea whimpers allowing for Evie’s tongue to sweep in, taking dominance Evie sets pace. Gloved hands tug at golden-silver locks and pale hands settle on bare skin above leather pants. Labored breathing and heavy pants play out as the cool air picks up—ice begins to frost under the Arendelle Heir melted immediately by barely there blue flames from the Isle Princess.

_“Screw you Benjamin!” “What the fuck, Ben?”_

Hearing two different shouts come from inside the cabin—one sounding like Audrey and the other being Mal, Evie breaks off the kiss pushing herself away from Andrea. Deepened azure eyes meet darker red-brown as both girls attempt to catch their breath.

Evie clears her throat in hopes that that will clear her head. She can feel her magic boiling under her skin, craving to bleed out. She can sense Mal’s panic from outside and it settles deep in her stomach. She needs to reach the smaller girl, needs to make sure that the half-fae is alright. Shooting Andrea a look, she stands swiftly on her feet, pushing the kiss to the darkest corner of her mind.

She hesitates on what to say, seeing Andrea try to come to terms with exactly what happened. Old Evie would have walked away, not paying any mind to the rest and leaving broken hearts in her wake. Old Evie would have smirked and laughed at the confused glances of the rest. Old Evie would have acted like the perfect villain she was raised to be. It has been a little bit over a month and half and Old Evie is disappearing.

“I have to go,” Evie decides on saying, as she passes the Princess desperate to reach her friends. “I’ll send out Skyla.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For visual purposes, this is who I imagine portraying:
> 
> Andrea - Ashley Benson  
> Skyla- Alycia Debnam Carey  
> Tessa - Hailee Steinfield


End file.
